Deposition Techniques for Thin Film Ternary Semiconductor Solar Cells

Abstract:

<p>This document is a summary for the project titled 'Deposition Techniques for Thin Film Ternary Semiconductor Solar Cells'.</p> <p>In the UK, the government has set up ambitious targets for the production of electricity from renewable sources, 10% of electricity by 2010 and 15% by 2020, and solar power is expected to make a significant contribution to this. Therefore the development of low-cost, efficient and environmentally friendly photovoltaic technologies will be of enormous benefit to society as a whole. It will also provide significant business opportunities internationally as countries strive to move towards more sustainable ways of generating electricity. The development and manufacture of solar cell modules for the production of electrical power is a growth industry with considerable wealth-creating potential for North West UK manufacturers during the next century.</p> <p>This project extended previous work carried out at the University of Salford on pulsed DC magnetron sputtering (PDMS), a technique used to deposit thin films of a material onto a surface, for use on CIS solar cells. The purpose of which is to establish whether PDMS offers a realistic approach for the industrial production of CIS solar cells. The project also involves experiments to replace some of the materials used in CIS cells with more efficient or less toxic alternatives.</p>

Author(s):

Hill, A.