OSU researcher advances 'thin film' solar technology

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OSU's Chih-hung Chang

Oregon State University officials announced Tuesday a breakthrough in the use of microreactors to produce thin-film absorbers for solar cells.

Thin film, the leading alternative to silicon-based solar energy devices such as the cells manufactured in Hillsboro by SolarWorld, is a popular technology in part because it has the potential to replace solar panels with solar roofs — replacing plywood and shingles with solar-energy producing materials.

The new technology, which could significantly reduce the cost of solar energy devices and reduce material waste, was reported in the professional journal "Current Applied Physics" by engineers from Oregon State University and Yeungnam University in Korea.

The process deposits “nanostructure films” on various surfaces in a continuous flow microreactor. A patent has been applied for on this approach, officials said.

“We’ve now demonstrated that this system can produce thin-film solar absorbers on a glass substrate in a short time, and that’s quite significant,” Chih-hung Chang, an associate professor in the OSU School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, said in a statement.

University officials say more work such as Chang's breakthrough can be expected from the $2.7 million Oregon Process Innovation Center for Sustainable Solar Cell Manufacturing, which will include the efforts of about 20 faculty from OSU, the University of Oregon, Portland State University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Further work is still needed to test the final product and scale up the process to a commercial application, Chang said.

The research has been supported by the Process and Reaction Engineering Program of the National Science Foundation.

Related technology was also developed recently at OSU using nanostructure films as coatings for eyeglasses, which may cost less and work better than existing approaches.

Organizers of the Oregon Process Innovation Center say they are aiming for “a revolution in solar cell processing and manufacturing” that might drop costs by as much as 50 percent while being more environmentally sensitive. In the process, they hope to create new jobs and industries in the Pacific Northwest.