SBIR Phase II: Nanoparticle Te Inks for Spray Deposition of Submicron Te Contact Layers in CdTe Solar Cells

这个小型企业创新研究二期项目旨在使光伏（PV）太阳能电力对我们的国家和世界来说更实惠。该计划中的技术代表了制造碲化镉（CdTe）太阳能电池的新工艺。在这个过程中，铜掺杂碲纳米颗粒的接触层被喷涂而不是溅射，这有望成为一种更有效的制造方法。成功的碲化镉太阳能电池原型将根据潜在终端用户的意见进行设计，以增加商业化的可能性。预计这一过程将产生具有优越的初始和长期效率的太阳能电池。这种性能的改进可以降低太阳能电池的制造成本（$/W），提高运行期间的功率（kwh /yr），延长使用寿命——这三个方面将使太阳能与现有的电力生产方法相比更具竞争力。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is aimed at making Photovoltaic (PV) solar electric power more affordable to our nation and to the world. The technology in this program, represents a new process for the manufacturing of cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar cells. In this process the contact layers of copper-doped tellurium nanoparticles are sprayed on rather than sputtered, which promises to be a more efficient method of manufacturing. The successful CdTe solar cell prototype will be designed with input from potential end-users as a means of increasing the likelihood for commercialization. It is anticipated that this process will result in solar cells with superior initial and long-term efficiencies. Such improvements in performance could result in reduced costs for solar cell manufacturing ($/W), higher power during operation (kW-h/yr), and an extension of the useful lifetime - three aspects that will allow solar energy to be more competitive with existing methods for electric power production.