LEFT
|
Project: ATHLET
Title: "Advanced Thin-Film Technologies for Cost Effective Photovoltaics "
IP PROJECT FP6
Short Description: Long term scenarios for a sustainable global development suggest that it should be feasible by the middle of this century to provide over 80% of the electric power by a mix of energy from renewable sources. Photovoltaics (PV) is one important option which could provide a significant share of over 30% to such a mix. The approach of this project is to focus on the most promising materials and device options for thin-film technologies, namely cadmium-free cells and modules based on amorphous, micro- and polycrystalline silicon as well as on I-III-VI2-chalcopyrite compound semiconductors. The overall goal of this project is to provide the scientific and technological basis for an industrial mass production of cost effective and highly efficient, environmentally-sound, large-area thin film solar cells and modules. This includes development of the process know-how and the production technology as well as the design and fabrication of specialised equipment.
Start Date: 2006-01-01
End Date: 2009-12-31
Duration: 48 months
Project Status: Completed
| ||
Self Consistent Plasma Modeling: Self - Consistent Fluid and hybrid Models in PTLUP Plasma Technology Laboratory has been involved to the development of self-consistent fluid and hybrid models since 2001. The self-consistent approach is required in order to simulate plasma reactors were typical plasma diagnostics measurements cannot be applied as medium and industrial scaled systems. Such types of models require a minimum number of inputs and counts for all physical and chemical processes that take place during the Plasma Processing of materials. PTLup model involves the following modules Flow module Equations: Navier –Stokes Results: Flow field – Gas velocity – Gas density distribution Time: Slow step ~ 1-2 sec Heat module Equations: Heat conduction - convection – diffusion – radiation Results: Temperature and gas enthalpy maps Time: Slow step ~ 1-2 sec Chemistry module Equations: Mass balance of species Results: Reactions rate, species density distribution, species flux towards surfaces Time: Intermediate step ~ 1 – 300 msec Plasma Module Equations: Mass balance of electrons and ions, Energy balance of electrons and ions Results: Electrons and ions density distribution, ions flux towards surfaces, electron – molecule collision rates Time: Fast step ~ 1-10 μsec Electromagnetic module Equations: Poisson’s equation Results: Distribution of electrostatic field and voltage Time: Fast step ~ 1-10 μsec The main problem of such type of simulation is the large scattering of time scales that are required for the convergence of the different modules and the extensive in some cases gas phase and surface chemistry of the processes. Advanced numerical algorithms are necessary for fast convergence while High Performance Computing systems and parallel processing are required especially in the case of industrial systems PTLUP has already develop and use self-consistent model for the simulation of bullet Amorphous and microcrystalline silicon deposition from SiH4/H2 plasmas bullet Diamond-like thin film deposition from CH4/H2 discharges bullet Treatment of polymers from He and He/O2 discharges Check here for some characteristic results and a presentation of the model! Typical steps that are required for the simulation of the plasma process are: bullet Geometry creation and meshing bullet Problem solution bullet Post - Processing of the data Hit the links to see more information on these steps! RESULTS The model counts for flow, heat, chemistry, plasma and electromagnetism that produces outputs for all these modules Characteristic example of flow in a PECVD reactor Characteristic example of heating in a PECVD reactor Characteristic example of plasma electrical properties in a PECVD reactor Power dissipation Electron flux Characteristic example of species distribution in SiH4/H2 discharges H atoms density distribution for different SiH4/H2 mixtures 1 % SiH4 2 % SiH4 3 % SiH4 4 % SiH4 Characteristic example of species distribution in SiH4/H2 discharges GEOMETRIES Creation of detailed geometries and detailed meshing of simulated areas are extremely important for accurate solutions PTLUP has years of experience in creating geometries of reactors either installed in the lab or of industrial and R/D partners Examples of 2 and 3d geometries SOLVING For simulation of large area reactors and geometries above 0.5 Mcells parallel processing has been developed and problems are solved in cluster of PC's 64 cores are available of Intel® Xeon® Processor E5540 for modelling of large scale systems More information of the High Performance Computing system are here PUBLICATIONS Click hereto download a presentation of the model Recent publications of the group related to self consistent modeling "Growth kinetics of plasma deposited microcrystalline silicon thin ?lms", Surf. Coat. Technol., Accepted for publication - Corrected Proofs, E. Amanatides and D. Mataras ©
"Fluid Model of an Electron Cyclotron Wave Resonance Discharge” “Simulation of The Electrical Poperties of SiH4/H2 RF Discharges”
| ||
Who's Online
We have one guest and no members online