Solar Cells Can Become Thinner & Cheaper - NC State University Research

US researchers have come up with a method to produce cheaper and thinner solar cells with just the same efficiency. As per the statement from North Carolina State University, rendering the cells thinner should substantially reduce production costs for the technology. Dr Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State stated that they could make solar cells by employing a sandwich design with an ultra-thin active layer of amorphous silicon just 70mm thick. This is a huge development, as the typical thin-film solar cells presently available in the market that also employ amorphous silicon possess active layers with a 300nm to 500nm thickness. This method may be applied to many other materials as well, he added.
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The material sandwiched in between the layers of dielectric material is the one that actually absorbs all the solar energy. Steps include creating a pattern on the substrate with standard lithography procedures. The pattern forms structures developed of transparent, dielectric material ranging between 200nm-300nm. The researchers then cover the substrate and the nano-structures with an exceptionally thin layer of active material, like amorphous silicon. This active layer is then covered with a further layer of dielectric material. Having dielectric nanostructures under the active layer makes a thin film with raised surfaces uniformly spaced all over the film.

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