Towards Sinter-free Printing of Photovoltaic Cell Interconnects

Completed

Renewable Energy Sources(Solar Energy, Photovoltaics)

Basic and strategic applied research

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics)
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials)

Not Cross-cutting

Dr CJ Sutcliffe
Centre for Materials and Structures
University of Liverpool

Standard

EPSRC

01 October 2012

30 September 2015

36 months

£364,495

Manufacturing

North West

Manufacturing: Engineering

Dr CJ Sutcliffe, Centre for Materials and Structures, University of Liverpool

Dr V Bertola, Engineering, University of Liverpool
Professor PR Chalker, Centre for Materials and Structures, University of Liverpool

Project Contact, IMRC:A Centre for Innovative
Project Contact, Pilkington Special Glass
Project Contact, DuPont (UK) Ltd
Project Contact, OpTek Systems
Project Contact, SAFC Hitech
Project Contact, Renishaw PLC (Old Town)

Metal thin films are used in a wide variety of technologies, such as solar cells and printed circuit boards for electronics. Inkjet printing has emerged as a practical and low-cost route for manufacturing electrical contacts in these applications. However existing manufacturing technologies use inks that often require a final heat treatment to consolidate or 'sinter' the film. If this last step can be eliminated, by depositing fully dense films, then the inkjet manufacturing process could be applied to temperature sensitive substrates like plastics or vulnerable semiconductor materials.The purpose of this project is to develop 'sinter-free' inkjet manufacturing processes, by taking ink precursors developed for other thin film processes, and exploiting them to use the significant benefits of inkjet process technology e.g. the direct writing of interconnects or wires. If successful, the project will represent a step-change in the manufacturing methods for this type of film

15/11/12