Silicon for solar cells
28 May 2002
Degussa and SolarWorld have formed a joint venture company to produce silicon for solar cells using technology developed by Nashua, NH-based GT Equipment Technologies.
The joint venture aims to produce silicon from silan, a gas consisting of silicon and hydrogen. Degussa will produce the silan, which will then be precipitated as silicon on the walls of tube-type reactors built by SolarWorld.
The joint venture will optimise the technology to the point where a pilot plant with an annual capacity of initially 800 tons of silicon can be built at Degussa's Antwerp facility by 2005.
SolarWorld will use up to 85% of the solar silicon for the group's own production of solar silicon wafers. The remainder will be made available to the world-wide solar wafer industry.
Until today, silicon has only been available to the solar industry at relatively high prices as a by-product of the electronics industry. The implementation of the new technology will make the production of solar silicon substantially more efficient and cost-effective while maintaining the same high quality level.
Degussa owns 51% of the new company, while SolarWorld has a 49% stake.
The technology itself was developed by Nashua, NH-based GT Equipment Technologies.
