Solar Cells Crystallized Out of Molten Silicon

Hot Toddy sends in a link to a story up on Digital World Tokyo about a more efficient process for manufacturing solar cells. It involves dropping molten silicon from a height of 14 m; surface tension causes tiny spheres 1 mm in diameter to form; the silicon crystallizes in the 1.5 seconds of free-fall. The spheres can be mounted on surfaces of any shape. They capture light from many directions, increasing their solar efficiency. Kyosemi is the company behind the Sphelar technology. Some of the pages on this site date to 2003 and the status of most listed Sphelar products is either "under development" or "engineering sample is available."

Comments

Melbourne Central shot tower

[Nefarious Wheel]

In the city of Melbourne, deep down in the Antipodes, a very tall (50M) 19th century shot tower is enclosed in a dome in the city centre, above the Melbourne Central train station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coops_(Melbourne_Central)_Shot_Tower.

So let me be the first to say it -- ours is bigger than yours!

Accidental discovery

[werdnapk]

Sounds like one of those accidental discoveries...

"Ah crap, I just knocked over the vat of molten silicon we had sitting on the roof ledge!! My boss is gonna be super mad at.... oh hey, look at all these little balls! Weeee, silicon balls!"

Re:Melbourne Central shot tower (OT)

[kanweg]

Yeah, but pointing down.

Bert

Bilbo-speak in TFA

[chudnall]

Ow, my brain:

Standard cell manufacturing results in half as much silicon being wasted as is actually used. "I know less than half of you half as well as I should like and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." ~ Bilbo Baggins

Re:Cannonballs!

[FasterthanaWatch]

You and your metric system...

Finally, some solar tech with balls...

[jpellino]

... hopefully it'll have legs, too.