Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-06-18

Improved material quality and light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells

Objective

In this project we will increase the efficiency of thin-film silicon solar cells on flexible substrates by solving the issues linked to material quality, interface properties and light management, thus enabling lower production costs per Watt-peak. The general technological objectives of the project are the development of better materials and enhanced interfaces for thin film silicon solar cells, and to transfer the developed processes to an industrial production line. The most important project goals are: 1) Reduction of optical reflection and parasitic absorption losses: Design and industrial implementation of textured back contacts in flexible thin film silicon solar cells. 2) Reduction of recombination losses: Development and implementation of improved silicon absorber material. 3) Reduction of electric losses: Graded TCO layers which minimize the work function barrier between the p-layer and the TCO layer without loss of conductivity and transmission of the TCO. In addition, the top layer of the TCO stack should provide a good protection against moisture ingression. In order to achieve these objectives more in-depth knowledge is needed for several relevant key areas for thin film silicon solar cells. The main scientific objectives are: 1) Identification of the ideal texture for the back contact. This structure should maximize the light trapping in thin film silicon solar cells without deterioration of open-circuit voltage and fill factor. 2) Paradigm shift for the growth of microcrystalline silicon. In this project we want to show that it is possible to use microcrystalline silicon with high crystalline fractions leading to better current collection without voltage losses, and without crack formation when grown on nano-textured substrates. 3) Deeper understanding of moisture degradation mechanisms of common TCO’s like ITO and AZO.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-ENERGY-2009-1
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

CP - Collaborative project (generic)

Coordinator

NRG PALLAS BV
EU contribution
€ 1 409 142,00
Address
WESTERDUINWEG 3
1755 LE PETTEN
Netherlands

See on map

Region
West-Nederland Noord-Holland Kop van Noord-Holland
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Participants (9)

My booklet 0 0