Flexible CdTe/CdS solar cells on thin glass substrates

Abstract

We demonstrate flexible CdTe/CdS thin-film solar cells in a superstrate configuration with a cell conversion efficiency as high as 10.9%. We deposit a CdS window layer and a CdTe absorber layer on a flexible glass substrate using the chemical bath deposition method and close-spaced sublimation method, respectively. The thin and flexible glass substrates were able to tolerate a high growth temperature and post-growth processes. We repeatedly apply a strain of 0.15% to the fabricated CdTe/CdS solar cells, and this was shown to have a negligible effect on their performances. Our proposed thin films-on-compliant substrate structure, which was prepared by replacing a rigid glass with a bendable one, demonstrated flexible CdTe/CdS p-n junction thin-film solar cells without compromising the cell performance. (C)2015 Optical Society of America