NREL Designs Promising New Oxides for Solar Cells (Fact Sheet)

    Research output: NRELFact Sheet

    Abstract

    High-efficiency, thin-film solar cells require electrical contacts with high electrical conductivity, and the top contact must also have high optical transparency. This need is currently met by transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), which conduct electricity but are 90% transparent to visible light. Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have derived three key designprinciples for selecting promising materials for TCO contacts. NREL's application of these design principles has resulted in a 10,000-fold improvement in conductivity for one TCO material.
    Original languageAmerican English
    Number of pages2
    StatePublished - 2012

    NREL Publication Number

    • NREL/FS-6A42-51557

    Keywords

    • Center for Inverse Design
    • contacts
    • design principles
    • doping rules
    • oxides
    • p-Type tcos
    • solar cells
    • spectrum of clean energy innovations
    • spinels
    • transparent conducting oxides (TCO)

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