High Performance Hole Conducting Electrode for Transparent Thin Film PVs

Eikos, Inc proposes using Invisicon®, the world’s only high performance transparent hole conductor, to increase the performance of flexible thin film photovoltaics (TFPVs). The most efficient TFPVs have an active layer of Copper Indium diSelenide doped with Gallium (CIGS). These devices have reached 19.5% efficiency at AM1.5 illumination on thick glass substrates. CIGS cells on heavy, rigid substrates have lower power densities than crystalline silicon (c-Si) PVs. To displace c-Si for terrestrial applications and multi-junction PVs for space applications, TFPVs must be highly efficient, lightweight, flexible, and low cost. The most technologically feasible way to achieve these characteristics is to stack a wide bandgap TFPV on top of a narrow bandgap TFPV to absorb both high energy and low energy light from the solar spectrum to make a “tandem” device. Eikos will partner with Ascent Solar Technologies (AST) to improve the efficiency and transparency of AST’s wide bandgap TFPV by incorporating Eikos’ hole conducting transparent electrode. Eikos-Ascent Solar Technologies devices will exceed 15% efficiency and 70% sub-bandgap transparency, enabling high efficiency, high power density tandem PVs. We will fabricate the devices on flexible substrates, which will increase manufacturability and reduce cost.