Thin film CdTe/CdS solar modules are currently the most promising photovoltaic technology for cost efficient solar
electricity production. Solar modules on glass substrate with more than 10% efficiency are already available on the
market. Substituting a flexible substrate material for the rigid and heavy glass will further reduce production costs due to
manufacturing advantages and will allow novel applications due to product advantages. In this paper we are presenting
the development of CdTe/CdS thin film solar cells with ZnO based TCO on commercially available polyimide. The
polyimide is coated with Al doped ZnO as front electrical contact followed by a highly transparent and resistive ZnO
buffer layer. Highest efficiency of 12.4% was achieved on 7.5 μm thin polyimide with 823 mV open circuit voltage, 19.6
mA/cm2 short circuit current density and 76.5% fill factor. Using 12.5 μm thick polyimide as substrate reduces the
current density of the device by approximately 5%. No cracks in the layers or adhesion problems of the solar cell
structure on the polyimide are observed even when rolled to small radius of curvatures (few mm).
Conference Committee Involvement (8)
Thin Films for Solar and Energy Technology VIII
28 August 2016 | San Diego, California, United States
Thin Films for Solar and Energy Technology VII
9 August 2015 | San Diego, California, United States
Thin Films for Solar and Energy Technology VI
17 August 2014 | San Diego, California, United States
Thin Film Solar Technology V
25 August 2013 | San Diego, California, United States
Thin Film Solar Technology IV
12 August 2012 | San Diego, California, United States
Thin Film Solar Technology III
21 August 2011 | San Diego, California, United States
Thin Film Solar Technology II
1 August 2010 | San Diego, California, United States
Thin Film Solar Technology
2 August 2009 | San Diego, California, United States
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