RASIRC Presents Poster on Importance of High Purity Steam for Oxide Growth and its Metals-Reject Efficiency

RASIRC®, the steam purification company, announced that the company was both an exhibitor and presenter on the topic "Metals-Reject Efficiency of Steam Purification Membrane" at the recent SiliconPV conference held April 17-20, 2011 in Freiburg, Germany. The RASIRC poster presentation highlighted the importance of ultra high purity steam to wet thermally grown oxide layers and how it can enhance light capture and reduce recombination rates. RASIRC products deliver ultrapure water vapor for photovoltaics, nanotechnology, semiconductor, and other manufacturing applications.

Wet thermal oxidation is up to 10 times faster than dry oxidation, but transition to full scale production has been a challenge because of the limitations of pyrolytic and other typical steam generation techniques. Given that next generation PV cells will have added passivation layers grown from wet oxide, and that cost and throughput considerations will drive the process engineer to look at ultrapure water (UPW) as the source of steam, it is important that UPW contamination be addressed at the point of use of the tool. RASIRC presented test results from technology developed specifically for conversion of UPW water to ultrapure steam. Conversion of water to purified steam reduced total metals by 99.9%.

"We were pleased to participate in this important new conference," said Jeff Spiegelman, founder of RASIRC. "It was an excellent forum for exchanging ideas and learning about new structures and processes for achieving greater PV cell efficiency."

SiliconPV focuses on the science and technology of crystalline silicon solar cells and modules. 540 scientists from 21 countries participated in the new conference series, which featured more than 130 presentations in its conference program.