The ARC Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence officially came into being on 13th June 2003. The new Centre is charged with the mission of advancing silicon photovoltaic research and applying these advances to the related field of silicon photonics.
Annual Report of the ARC Centre of Excellence
The Annual Report for the ARC Photovoltaics Centre of Excellence is available by clicking the above link. All of the research activities are detailed in the annual report.
The Centre of Excellence is made up of five research teams dedicated to finding novel ways of improving the efficiency and cost of silicon based photovoltaic and photonic devices.
Buried Contact Group
The Buried-Contact Solar Cell Group aims to develop new solar cell structures and novel process technologies specifically for commercially relevant silicon wafers. The group has a broad spectrum of research and development activities that address the evolving nature of commercial silicon solar cells. The Group’s main activities are focused on developing high-efficiency, thin-wafer Buried-Contact solar cells, developing low-cost processing technologies and related device designs, and transferring BC technology to industrial and technical collaborators.
High Efficiency Group
The high efficiency solar cell group aims to maintain the Centre’s international leadership position in this area and to demonstrate the performance potential of new concepts by showing them at their full capability.
Thin Film Group
The primary aim of the Centre’s thin-film cell group (or “second-generation group”) is to develop polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film solar cells on glass, an approach that is widely recognised as being a pathway towards substantially lowering the cost of photovoltaic (PV) solar electricity.
Third Generation Photovoltaics
Third Generation concepts are based on devices than can exceed the theoretical solar conversion efficiency limit for a single energy threshold material.
Silicon Photonics
The Centre’s work in silicon photonics has two main thrusts. The first is to demonstrate silicon light emitters that can be integrated into silicon microelectronic circuits. The second is to investigate the feasibility of innovative schemes for demonstrating the silicon laser. A range of silicon optoelectronic characterisation activities underpin both these programs.
Collaborative Research
The Centre has established relationships with industry and educational organisations locally and overseas.
Facilities and Infrastructure
The Centre has a large range of world class research laboratory facilities.
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