The raw material to make a silicon (mono or poly) solar cell is the silicon wafer.
A solar cell is made from a silicon wafer, which in turn is made from polysilicon ingots.
Silicon wafers are an intermediate product in the solar PV manufacturing process. These are made by slicing polysilicon ingots, usually with diamond tipped cutting saws.
Ask you can easily guess, the quality of a silicon cell and hence the silicon solar panel, is thus dependent on the silicon wafer.
In order to make monocrystalline solar cells, you will need monocrystalline silicon wafers; similarly, polycrystalline solar cells, you will need to start with polycrystalline silicon wafers.
Source: Silicon Wafer from Solar Mango’s Solar Dictionary
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