Innovation
Professor Yang and colleagues have developed a transparent charge collection layer for solar cells. The technology's solution processable window results in significantly lower manufacturing costs compared to vacuum-deposited materials, such as standard zinc oxide. Solution coating can cause less damage to lower layers than magnetron sputtering, and may allow for use of a simpler, cheaper device structure that omits the cadmium selenide layer. The technology can be used in CuInSe2 solar cell devices, with potential use in other types of solar cells. Other applications include UV absorbing coatings for windows.