Crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers  is continuing to dominate the field of photovoltaics (PV). The material processed in cells and assembled into modules is reaching its limits both in terms of cost and conversion efficiency concepts. New approaches need to be proposed

IMEC -PV proposes the  merging  of c-Si and thin films technology  through the direct cell-on-module engineering at  module level of very thin cSi layers (~ tens of microns thick ). Indeed  c-Si thinned  below 40 microns is weekly absorbing and becomes partially transparent in visible-near-infrared regime. Nanophotonics  offers  breakthrough solutions.

The webinar will  illustrate the various experimental routes  could   implement  nanophotonic concepts allowing the control of the c-Si’s pattern profile at the nanoscale and micron-scale level . A portfolio of technologies will presented  in order to nanopattern cSi Structures and integrate them in cSi  solar cell fabrication . The  recent advances in the exploitation of the wave-nature of light, combined with the manipulation of matter’s shape at the nanoscale comparable with the visible light’s wavelength  will be depicted allowing us to implement a unique combination of features in order to make that  thin c-Si modules come to reality