PR442: Flexible Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells On Ultra-Thin Glass Substrate

DR. NUR IRWANY BINTI AHMAD UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PERLIS

In the ever-evolving world of renewable energy, solar cells have gained immense popularity as a sustainable and clean energy source. However, several technical obstacles hinder the progress of CdTe thin film-based solar cells, necessitating a comprehensive understanding and resolution of the issues at hand. The conventional Si solar cell is notorious for their bulkiness and heaviness, necessitating ample installation spaces and limiting their versatility and portability. Thin-film CdTe solar cells are frequently fabricated on rigid glass substrates. Nevertheless, as compared to ultra-thin and flexible glass substrates, the devices mounted on rigid substrates have the drawback of being heavier. Flexible thin-film photovoltaic devices are highly desirable for the development of new applications as well as the reduction of manufacturing costs through roll-to-roll processing. However, fabrication of a fully working device is challenging on flexible glass and needs special consideration due to the unstable morphology and structural properties of deposited film on ultra-thin glass substrates. Therefore, our innovation focuses on the development of flexible CdTe solar cells on ultra-thin glass (UTG) substrates. The flexibility and lightweight properties of UTG allow these solar cells to be applied on curved and irregular surfaces, making them suitable for advanced transportation systems, portable electronics, and wearable devices. CdTe solar cells were fabricated on UTG substrates using advanced deposition techniques, including radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, close-spaced sublimation (CSS), and thermal evaporation, under optimized process parameters. To date, the performance of flexible CdTe on UTG substrates showed optimal I-V results with 0.438 V, 5.757 mA, FF of 31.624%, and efficiency of 3.188%. This finding serves as a benchmark for the future development of CdTe solar cells on UTG substrates.