Recent progress and critical issues in thin film polycrystalline solar cells and modules

Thin film CdTe and CulnSe(2) based solar cells have reported efficiencies of over 15% and 17% respectively for small area laboratory devices and over 10% for prototype modules. In the present article, an approach to translate laboratory results to the development of large scale module manufacturing facilities is discussed, and critical issues associated with the development of CulnSe(2) and CdTe thin film polycrystalline module manufacturing are identified. For CulnSe(2) based PV, the analysis and modeling used in the design and development of a continuous, commercial scale deposition system is presented. For CdTe based PV, the issues associated with the back contact are discussed with particular emphasis on the development of a diffused Cu contact.