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Natcore, Rice University Collaborate to Develop Inorganic Flexible Thin Film Solar Cell
Green Technology Featured Articles
July 12, 2013

Natcore, Rice University Collaborate to Develop Inorganic Flexible Thin Film Solar Cell

By Shamila Janakiraman
TMCnet Contributor

Natcore Technology scientists and Rice University researchers have made the first inorganic flexible thin film solar cell by leveraging solution processes according to a report in the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.


Andrew R. Barron, a Natcore co-founder and Rice professor, said, “This is a major step forward in our goal of creating a low cost flexible solar cell. These results demonstrate the feasibility of our approach. This is the first step in moving this towards a commercial cell.”

The liquid phase deposition (LPD) process has been used to grow a cadmium/selenium (CdSe) absorber layer on a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-derived back contact substrate. The CdSe/SWNT layers exhibit significant photo response features.

LPD can also be used to grow a copper/selenium (CuSe) window layer on which silver contacts are deposited. The photovoltaic device so formed produces a current-voltage or IV curve as is required from a flexible solar cell. The process did not involve any high temperature semiconductor processing in fabricating the device, officials explained.

Natcore’s CTO and co-founder Dennis Flood remarked, “The use of carbon nanotubes was chosen to create a back contact that is imbedded into the absorber layer, and thus decrease the diffusion length to the back contact, which should result in a lower percentage of hole electron recombination, and hence higher efficiency.”

The new technology shows how LPD can be grown as a whole cell on a flexible substrate that remains flexible even with so many layers. If this is combined with multi-junction tandem solar cell technology, the system will be enhanced. Further development is needed to adapt the production of roll-to-roll solar cells.

Thin film technology always suffered from low efficiency and high manufacturing cost. But the use of the new technology along with multi-junction tandem solar cell can help eliminate these problems, added the researchers.

Natcore advanced its black silicon solar cells to commercial levels of efficiency recently. As part of its development process the technology can provide the industry with a low-cost selective emitter application.




Edited by Alisen Downey


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