Advances in Thin Film Solar Cells

Dear Colleagues,

Renewable energy is the inevitable future path to the energy management of the world, which has been made clear by the rising costs of the finite fossil fuels, the critical state of the environmental crisis and the ever-increasing energy demands of our society. Among all renewable energy sources, solar photovoltaic energy is poised to play the most extensive role in the foreseable future. Thin film solar cells (TFSC) are promising photovoltaic devices both for terrestrial and space applications. A number of materials like silicon, CIGS, III-V and II–VI semiconductor compounds, organic semiconductors, perovskites, dye-sensitized, metal-oxides, etc. are suitable for thin film solar cells.

Versatility is a key feature of TFSC leading to immense possibilities. Thin film photovoltaic device design and fabrication allow a variety of choices of the substrate type (flexible/rigid, metallic/insulating, flat/microstructured/nanostructured), and of the different layers forming the cell that can be deposited using different techniques (PVD, CVD, PECVD, sputtering, spin coating, doctor blading coating, spray pyrolysis, SILAR method, etc.).

Material and process optimization, and device architecture are crucial to achieving excellent device performances and a high conversion efficiency even for large area devices. Increasing knowledge about and control over nanostructured films and surfaces with promising and interesting optoelectronic properties have opened the way to the application of their unique properties in photonic devices. Thus, interdisciplinary research efforts in the thin film solar cell field span a large number of related fields like novel advanced materials, interface and bandgap engineering, innovative light management strategies, transparent conducting electrodes, deposition technologies, and smart technologies, with new dimensions in applications like agriculture, increasing range of miniature and IoT devices, integration with buildings and fabrics, etc.

This Special Issue will focus on such advances in the thin film solar cells technology and module integration that are related to new experimental, numerical, or analytical approaches as well as new achievements in realizing more efficient, stable and inexpensive thin film solar cells and their applications.

We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue with an original research or review article on a topic relevant to the continued development of thin film solar cells research and technology. Articles may describe novel approaches to better performing TFSCs, experimental and/or numerical modelling studies, analytical studies, innovative technical developments in TFSC and their applications, or present analyses of the emergent aspects and future prospects of this technology and offer suggestions on potential approaches to further improvement and deployment.

Topics in this special issue include but are not limited to:

• Recent breakthroughs, advances, and applications of new ideas for the development and improvement of thin film solar cells based on different semiconductor materials.
• Light management solutions to increase the absorption and/or to reduce the reflection losses in the solar cells: nanostructured layer for light trapping, nano - and micro-structured back-reflectors, nanophotonic approaches, spectrum manipulation methods, etc.
• Role of surfaces and interfaces in heterostructures
• Alternative transparent front electrodes
• Flexible substrate and high efficiency issue
• Industrial manufacturing process optimization
• Scalable low-cost fabrication nanotechnologies
• Studies on degradation effects
• Technological solution for enhancing device stability
• Integration of TFSC with various other renewable energy technologies like photobioreactors, photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting, photothermal, etc.
• Integration of thin film solar cells with wearable technologies, IoT devices, fabrics, building components, papers, etc.

Dr. Rita Rizzoli
Dr. Sanjay K. Ram
Guest Editors

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• thin film solar cells
• advanced materials
• nanotechnology/ nanostructures
• light management
• solar cells integration