The Future for MIS Cells - Cheaper Substrates

On the assumption that it will be possible to get around the long term stability problem discussed in the previous section the future for Schottky Barrier solar cells must depend on our ability to develop cells on cheaper substrates while maintaining cell conversion efficiencies 10% or better. There are a number of alternative substrates that are currently under investigation among which the following are the most promising. 

Cast grain oriented polycrystalline silicon (SILSO 

Ribbon silicon either EFG or web dentritic Silicon coated graphite Amorphous silicon 

Results so far obtained on poly silicon substrates show MIS cells having efficiencies 10% less than on the corresponding single crystal substrates Similarly encouraging results have been 

Work on GaAs MIS cells has likewise been very much constrained by need to develop cheaper methods for growing GaAs substrates. 

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