Development of High-Performance, Flexible, Thin-Film Solar Cells for Portable Power Applications

This proposed Phase II SBIR program with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will focus on demonstrating a high-performance, cost-effective, thin-film solar cell technology, providing an attractive source of portable and mobile power that can be integrated into flexible, lightweight photovoltaic modules which can operate in both terrestrial and space environments.Photovoltaic devices can provide a portable source of electrical power for a wide variety of defense applications, including mobile power for dismounted soldiers, unmanned aerial vehicles, and remote sensors.By combining thin III-V absorbers with advanced light-trapping structures, single-junction GaAs-based devices provide a means to deliver high efficiency performance over a wide range of operating conditions at a fraction of the cost of the multi-junction structures typically employed for space power.In addition, the incorporation of nano-enhanced III-V absorbers provides a pathway to extend infrared absorption and increase the photovoltaic power conversion efficiency of cost-effective thin-film solar cells.As part of the proposed Phase II effort, Magnolias innovative approach will be applied to the design and construction of light-weight and flexible thin-film solar cells capable of achieving conversion efficiencies in excess of 40% over a wide range of operating conditions.