Flexible a-Si/μc-Si tandem thin film silicon solar cells on plastic substrates with i-layers made with hot-wire CVD using the Helianthos cell transfer process

In this contribution we report the result of an a-Si/μc-Si tandem thin film silicon solar mini-module deposited on plastic foil containing intrinsic layers made by hot-wire CVD (eff. ≫ 7%, series-connected with aperture area 25 cm²). We used the Helianthos cell transfer process. The cells were first deposited on a temporary aluminum foil carrier, which allows using optimal process temperatures, and then transferred to a plastic foil. The paper reports the characteristics of the flexible solar cells obtained in this manner, and compares the results with those obtained on reference glass substrates. The issues for implementation of the hot-wire CVD technique for the R2R process are also discussed.