Testbed 1: 2012 Student-Led Pilot Line

Leader: Bowden
Other participating faculty: Bertoni, Buonassisi, Holman, Honsberg, Husman, Opila

Undergraduate students screen printing on the pilot line.
Undergraduate students screen printing on the pilot line.

The student-led pilot line at ASU is a unique facility in the United States in which undergraduate students, graduate students, researchers, and industry fabricate and characterize silicon diffused-junction and heterojunction solar cells and modules. The line uses the industry-standard six-inch solar wafer form factor, and is therefore key in development and transfer of new materials and processes to industry. The pilot line now has baseline processes for fabrication of large-area silicon solar cells with efficiencies over 17%, uses a custom web-based application to track every cell through fabrication and characterization, and has been used to train over 20 undergraduate students from all over the country during summer REU internships. The student-led pilot line aims to continue to be a forum for education, research, and development, with an emphasis on industrially relevant high-efficiency silicon solar cells and modules made by students.