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FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BOROSILICATE CERAMIC

GLASS AS SOLAR MODULE SUBSTRATE

by
Siti Fadlila Ekayati
09/285377/TK/35762

Submitted to the Department of Engineering Physics
Faculty of Engineering Universitas Gadjah Mada
in partial fulfillment of the Degree of
Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Physics

ABSTRACT
Solar module needs substrate as its buffer material. It usually made from metal, glass
and also ceramic. Fabrication of substrate consider not only its mechanical strength but also
the economic aspect.
This research uses borosilicate glass composition with low thermal expansion (SiO
2
=
83.34 % ; B
2
O
3
= 11.19 % and Na
2
O = 4.08% ) . The ingredients are : zeolite as main source
of SiO
2
, sodium tetraborat (Na
2
B
4
O
7
.10H
2
O) as source of boron, Na
2
CO
3
to reduces the glass
melting point, and TiO
2
as crystal growth material. Before firing, all ingredients are crushed
and sieved until 200 mesh maximum, then mixed homogenly. The first firing produced amorf
glass by quenching after released from furnace.
This amorf glass need to crushed and sieved again until 200 mesh maximum. The
second firing, or sintering, needed to compacted the glass and formed crystal phase. More
compacted sampel, particularly if formed crystal phase in it, will be stronger and tougher
mechanically because its more poreless and the crystal structure more regular.
Sintering is processed with the variations in temperature 500
0
C, 600
0
C, 700
0
C,
heating rate 3
0
C / minute and holding time for each temperature are 30 minutes, 60 minutes,
90 minutes, and 120 minutes. Before sintering, pre-sintering is done at temperature 120
0
C
with one hour holding time to eliminate the remained liquid phase.
After sintering, samples are compressive strength tested . The compressive strength
from sintering temperature of 600
0
C are 68.9869 MPa for holding time 30 minutes, 79.2011
MPa for holding time 60 minutes, 75.0998 MPa for holding time 90 minutes, and 71.5869
MPa for holding time 120 minutes. These values still very small in comparison with the other
ceramic substrates compressive strength, that is about 747 Mpa for Steatite and Forsterite,
1452 MPa for alumina, and 2075 Mpa for Beryllia.

Keywords : substrate, sintering, borosilicate glass ceramic, crystal phase, compressive
strength

Supervisor : Widya Rosita, S.T., M.T.
Co-Supervisor : Ferdiansjah, S.T., M.Eng.Sc.