SBIR Phase II: Development of a Continuous Doping and Feeding System for Controlling the Resistivity of Floating Silicon Method Silicon Wafers

The broader impact potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is improved global solar panel manufacturing. To date, conventional solar panel manufacturing technologies are still expensive, but the market, estimated at $40 B, offers significant potential. The proposed technology will simplify the manufacturing process at industrial scales. It will reduce all-in solar manufacturing costs by 25% and the overall capital intensity of solar manufacturing by almost 50%. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project enables a commercial pilot of a single crystal wafer manufacturing technology. This novel technology can produce drop-in silicon wafers for solar panels in one step at 50% lower cost than the incumbent seven-step wafer technology. The project will extend the current production capabilities from a few wafers per batch into continuous production consistent with industrial use. Tasks include developing the subsystems to continuously feed raw silicon feedstock into the machine and controlling material properties to critical specifications for long production runs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.