Thin film solar cells on honeycomb-structured substrates for photovoltaic building blocks

Abstract

Honeycomb-structured solar cell is proposed for photovoltaic building block applications. Honeycomb-like substrates were prepared either by a conventional semiconductor processing or by a low cost wet-chemical method, and amorphous Si thin film solar cells were fabricated on these substrates. We have demonstrated one of the essential requirements for building block application, which is the low sensitivity of the light incidence angles on the power conversion efficiency; and we have identified the critical processing issues through the experimental study using various thin film deposition methods. This honeycomb-structured solar cell is a promising candidate for the future photovoltaic building block applications enabling the inherent high strength-to-weight ratio and higher efficiency at an oblique light incidence.