Laser Structuring of Flexible Organic Solar Cells

Abstract

Besides the „classical”︁ inorganic solar cells based on silicon, research on novel solar cell technologies has been intensified in the last years. The focus has been put especially on organic solar cells (OPV). Their industrial production has been made possible only recently.Organic solar cells constitute an alternative to common mono‐ and polycrystalline solar cells as well as the novel thin‐film technologies. Silicon, CIS/CIGS (Copper‐Indium‐Gallium‐Selenide) and Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) are used as semiconductor materials for the last‐mentioned technology, which are largely made up of heavy metals. Highly poisonous and environmentally harmful chemicals are often involved in the production which requires large amounts of energy.