Thinnest ever solar cells produced by MIT team

Described in the journal Organic Electronics, the technology involves manufacturing the solar cell, the substrate that supports it, and a protective overcoating all in one step. The substrate is made in place and never needs to be handled, cleaned, or removed from the vacuum in which production takes place. This minimises exposure to dust and other contaminants that could degrade the cell’s performance. 

“The innovative step is the realisation that you can grow the substrate at the same time as you grow the device,” said Vladimir Bulović, MIT’s associate dean for innovation and one of the paper’s lead authors.

According to the researchers, the entire process takes place in a vacuum chamber at room temperature and without the use of any solvents. Both the substrate and the solar cell are “grown” using chemical vapour deposition, or CVD. This involves vapourising monomers and introducing them to the chamber where they link up to form a thin layer of polymer.