ABSTRACT
Crystalline silicon (c-Si) is currently the most important semiconductor material for the electronic and photovoltaic industries. This leading position is due to a unique combination of advantageous properties: the availability of large and highly pure single crystals, effective conductivity engineering, a matching insulator, and natural abundance. These properties have driven the development of Si technology to its present maturity. Together with its 1.1-eV band gap, optimal for capturing the solar spectrum using a single-junction device, this maturity makes silicon almost ideally suited for photovoltaics applications. As a result, around 90% of solar panels in use today are based on silicon.
