A computational study of rapid solidification for ribbon growth on substrate

Ribbon growth on a substrate (RGS) emerges as a potent technology for producing multi-silicon ribbons that are used for building solar cells at a low cost. One major challenge of RGS is to increase the efficiency of the solar cells built on RGS wafers through better control of the solidification rate of the wafer. In this study, an integrated model is developed that consists of a two-dimensional model of the heat transfer process and a one-dimensional model that predicts the solidification profile during the RGS process. Simulations will be performed with different pulling rates, substrate materials and preheating temperatures to obtain a better understanding of the temperature profile and solidification rates at the substrate and solidification interface surfaces. The information obtained through the modeling work will enable us to identify the effects of important operational parameters and further optimize the growth process.