NREL is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy 

Efficiency & Renewable Energy, operated by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308

Evaluate Si Layers

Cooperative Research and Development 

Final Report

CRADA Number: CRD-07-255

NREL Technical Contact: Charles Teplin

CRADA Report

NREL/TP-7A10-57817

April 2013
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Cooperative Research and Development Final Report

In accordance with Requirements set forth in Article XI.A(3) of the CRADA document, this document is 

the final CRADA report, including a list of Subject Inventions, to be forwarded to the Office of Science 

and Technical Information as part of the commitment to the public to demonstrate results of federally 

funded research.

CRADA Number: CRD-07-255

CRADA Title: Evaluate Si Layers

Parties to the Agreement: Ampulse Corporation

Joint Work Statement Funding Table showing DOE commitment: 

Estimated Costs NREL Shared Resources

Year 1 $ 245,000.00

Year 2 $ 265,000.00

Year 3 $ 2,280.00

Year 4 $ 19,708.00

TOTALS $ 531,988.00

Abstract of CRADA work: 

Evaluate Si layers based on heteroepitaxial Si growth on RABITS textured metal substrates coated with 

textured buffer layers

Summary of Research Results: 

We made excellent progress demonstrating the potential of : 1) heteroepitaxial c-Si photovoltaics (>10 % 

solar cell) silicon photovoltaics on buffered Cu foil (2% solar cell), hydrogen passivation of dislocations 

in c-Si, and light trapping for thin c-Si photovoltaic absorbers.

Subject Inventions Listing: 

1. U.S. Application No. 12/537,185, filed August 6, 2009, “A Photovoltaic Cell with Back-Surface 

Reflectivity and Scattering”

2. U.S. Application No. 12/537,152, filed August 6, 2009, “Back Contact to Film Silicon on Metal for 

Photovoltaic Cells”

3. U.S. Application No. 13/148,925, filed August 10, 2011, “Crystal Silicon Processes and Products”
4. U.S. Application No. 13/777,974, filed February 26, 2013, “Back Contact to Film Silicon on Metal 

for Photovoltaic Cells”

Report Date: January 31, 2013

Responsible Technical Contact at Alliance/NREL: Charles Teplin

This document contains NO confidential, protectable, or proprietary information.