MRS Bulletin 0703: Advanced Inorganic Materials for Photovoltaics

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Advanced Inorganic Materials for Photovoltaics
Volume 32, No. 3
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Guest Editors: Abdelilah Slaoui and Reuben T. Collins

By 2050, world annual energy consumption is predicted to grow from the present 13 terawatt-years (TWyr) to near 30 TWyr. Although all energy sources must be considered in meeting this challenge, sunlight is a plentiful source able to supply a significant amount of energy cleanly (without CO2 emission), if it can be captured efficiently and cost-effectively using photovoltaic materials. This issue of MRS Bulletin reviews the status and future development of solar photovoltaic technologies based on inorganic materials, covering cadmium telluride, amorphous silicon, quantum dots, multijunction solar cells, transparent conductors, and other innovations. We invite you to view the introductory article for this issue, "Advanced Inorganic Materials for Photovoltaics" by Abdelilah Slaoui and Reuben T. Collins, Guest Editors.

Article - Amorphous Silicon, Microcrystalline Silicon, and Thin-Film Polycrystalline Silicon Solar Cells
Ruud E.I. Schropp, Reinhard Carius, and Guy Beaucarne

Theme Article - Materials Challenges for CdTe and CuInSe2 Photovoltaics
Joseph D. Beach and Brian E. McCandless

Theme Article - High-Efficiency Multijunction Solar Cells
Frank Dimroth and Sarah Kurtz

Theme Article - Solar Cells Based on Quantum Dots: Multiple Exciton Generation and Intermediate Bands
Antonio Luque, Antonio Martí, and Arthur J. Nozik

Theme Article - Transparent Conducting Oxides for Photovoltaics
Elvira Fortunato, David Ginley, Hideo Hosono, and David C. Paine

Abstract
Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are an increasingly important component of photovoltaic (PV) devices, where they act as electrode elements, structural templates, and diffusion barriers, and their work function controls the open-circuit device voltage. They are employed in applications that range from crystalline-Si heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) cells to organic PV polymer solar cells. The desirable characteristics of TCO materials that are common to all PV technologies are similar to the requirements for TCOs for flat-panel display applications and include high optical transmissivity across a wide spectrum and low resistivity. Additionally, TCOs for terrestrial PV applications must use low-cost materials, and some may require device-technology-specific properties. We review the fundamentals of TCOs and the matrix of TCO properties and processing as they apply to current and future PV technologies.

Technical Feature - Reconstruction of Historical Alloys for Pipe Organs Brings True Baroque Music Back to Life
Brigitte Baretzky, Milan Friesel, and Boris Straumal