SBIR Phase I: Thin Film Solar Cells

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创造一个变革性的，可持续的光伏解决方案，将加速可再生光伏能源技术的成本下降。 当今的商业太阳能电池技术在显著提高效率方面的机会有限。该研究项目的产品与商业太阳能电池相结合，将使转换效率和功率输出实现突破性的提高。 采用该技术的太阳能电池和组件将提供高功率密度和长期性能稳定性，以推动可再生太阳能的成本降低和太阳能安装项目的加速增长。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将扩大太阳能电池设备集成的新型太阳能吸收材料的知识基础。从基础科学的角度来看，拟议的研究为科学和工程提供了新的机会，以研究集成到太阳能电池中的超吸收硫属化物材料的性能。这类新的吸收材料消除了传统n型硫化物材料产生p-n结的需要，从而能够开发独特的太阳能电池配置。 该研究项目将侧重于建立吸收剂沉积工艺，以控制吸收剂层的组成和形态，并将其与所得太阳能电池的器件性能特性相关联。 拟议的研究目标是可重复地证明高器件性能，并建立实现持续改进的途径。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to create a transformative, sustainable photovoltaic solution that will accelerate cost declines of renewable photovoltaic energy technologies. Today's commercial solar cell technologies have limited opportunity for significant efficiency improvements. The product of this research project integrated with commercial solar cells will enable breakthrough improvement in conversion efficiency and power output. Solar cells and modules incorporating this technology will provide high power density and long term performance stability to drive cost-reduction of renewable solar energy and accelerated growth of solar installation projects.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will expand the knowledge base on a new class of solar absorbers materials for solar cell device integration. From a basic-science perspective, the proposed research enables new opportunities in science and engineering to investigate performance of superabsorbing chalcogenide materials integrated into solar cells. The new class of proposed absorber materials eliminates the need for the traditional n-type sulfide materials to create the p-n junction, enabling the development of unique solar cell configurations. This research project will focus on establishing absorber deposition processes to control the composition and morphology of the absorber layer and relate it to device performance characteristics of resulting solar cells. The proposed research objectives are to reproducibly demonstrate high device performance and establish a pathway to achieve continued improvement.