New design could provide cheaper thinner solar cells

摘要

Researchers from North Carolina State University in the US have found a way to create much slimmer thin film solar cells without sacrificing the cells' ability to absorb solar energy. The breakthrough, they believe, could significantly decrease manufacturing costs for the technology. According to Dr Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science at the university, the efficiency is owed to a 'nanoscale sandwich' design with an ultra thin 'active' layer. "We created a solar cell with an active layer of amorphous silicon that is only 70nm thick," she explained.