Ultralight Absorber for Remote Energy Source

Thin film PV devices fabricated from Earth abundant absorbers, e.g. kesterite Cu2ZnSn(SxSe1−x)4 (CZTSSe) in this project, combine the potential for high specific power, high power potential, low-cost and non-toxic attributes, providing an attractive energy harvesting solution for the vast number of SIPV employed in healthcare, transportation, construction, aerospace and  consumer devices. In a multistep fabrication process, this project will first investigate the development of lift-off techniques to separate fully functional ultralight solar cell structures from their low-cost reusable “growth”substrates; second the revealed back surface/interface will be engineered, including a hole transport layer for improved performance. This innovative technique will not only enhance the device efficiency but also aim to demonstrate integration of ultralight weight Earth abundant solar cells bonded flexibly on various hostsubstrates such as tiles, textile/fabrics and/or other temperature sensitive materials for applications such as portable consumer electronics or remote Internet of Things (IoT) devices.