www.flisom.com
Flisom:
Flexible PV –
from Lab to Fab
04/11/2014
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© 2012 Flisom AG
Agenda
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Flisom’s History
Why flexible CIGS Thin Film
Flisom’s Technology
From Lab to Fab
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Flisom progress
Established in 2005
ETH spin-off company
1st round investment-seed
2nd round
investment
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Awards
Venture /
McKinsey “special award”
ZKB Technopark Pioneer
CTI Start-up
World Economic Forum
Tech Pioneer
CASH & SECA: 2nd most
promising company of CH
Red Herring 100 (Europe)
Cooperation and
research partner:
3rd round
investment
2012 2013
R&D Line:
• Development of R2R equipment and
technology
• Ensuring that innovative developments are
transferable to mass production
• Prototype solar module demonstrators
Funding to ramp up 15MW capacity flexible CIGS
production plant in Zurich area
17.8%
18.7%
20.4%
Efficiency records for CIGS on plastic
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CIGS – ideal absorber material for thin film solar cells
 Highest efficiency amongst thin film solar cells
 Efficiency comparable to poly-Si wafer cells
 Excellent performance stability
 Energy payback time lower than Si wafer cells
 Excellent stability under space radiation
 Large area coating on different substrates
Highest record efficiencies of solar cells (area: ~0.5 cm2)
Substrate
Glass
Steel
Aluminum
Polymer
Efficiency
20.8% *
17.7% *
16.2%
20.4*
Institute
ZSW
EMPA
EMPA
EMPA
Efficiencies of large area solar modules
Average module efficiency: 11% - 14%
Highest module efficiency: 15% - 16%
* Independently certified measurement at ISE-FhG
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Cost advantage of flexible solar cells
Lowest production cost potential:
• Roll-to-roll manufacturing
•
Lowest installed cost potential:
• Lightweight:
o
Low transportation cost
o
Compact machine size
o
Simpler installation systems are possible
o
No spacious automation
o
Easier and faster installation
o
No robotics for handling
o
High speed processing
•
Low energy and material
consumption
UniSolar
FlexCell
Flexible:
o
Unique solutions are possible
o
Less risk of damage during installation
Global Solar
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Structure of Flisom’s CIGS Solar Cells
Function
ZnO:Al / i-ZnO
CdS
CIGS
1 µm
Deposition Process
Front Contact Sputtering
Buffer
Chemical Bath
Absorber
Vacuum Evaporation
Back Contact
Sputtering
Substrate
50m – 2.5km Roll
Cu(In,Ga)Se2
Mo
Polyimide
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Monolithically interconnected solar cells make module
e-
Front Contact
CIGS
Laser
Laser
Laser
P3 scribe
P2 scribe
P1 scribe
Back contact
Polyimide substrate

Number of interconnections determines
voltage of module

Voltage and current can be designed

Automated and highly precise
processing required
0.6V
0.6V
0.6V
0.6V
0.6V
0.6V
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Non-integrated roll-to-roll manufacturing concept
Back contact
sputter deposition
Laser scribing P1
FE
Front contact
sputter deposition
CIGS co-evaporation
Laser scribing
P2&P3
Buffer layer
deposition by
checmical bath
BE
Contacts application
Lamination
Module cutting
Junction box and
connector application
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Solar Module: Back-end Processing
Front-end processing: Active layers & metal grid coatings on Substrate material
Back-end processing: Contacts, Encapsulation foils, Lamination, Junction Box
Front & back
sheets and
encapsulation
material
Water vapour
barrier
Junction box
Bypass diodes
Standard plug
connector
Busbar
electrical energy
collector
Photovoltaic sheet (circuit)
of monolithic
interconnected CIGS cells

Currently high material costs in back-end processing – more
than 50% of total material cost

Low cost moisture barrier front sheet is needed
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Transfer from lab to fab deposition
Laboratory stationary
co-evaporation
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Manufacturing and scale-up challenges
•
Roll-to-roll equipment for CIGS on metal
or polymer not readily available
•
Deposition with evaporation on large width
(beyond 1m)
o Uniformity of coating is very
critical
o Substrate temperatures: 450°C –
600°C
Deposition zone
o Temperature uniformity of heaters
•
Composition control of Cu, In, Ga, Se/S,
Na, K
o Stability of deposition rates
especially of evap. sources
o Stable process for more than 6
days of operation (2500m)
•
Line yield
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High efficiency flexible modules are possible
Certified 16.0% efficiency: Record!
 8 Monolithically interconnected cells, VOC = 678 mV per cell
 Coating by EMPA, Laser scribing by Flisom
 Challenges for transfer technology to large areas have been described
 Good scale-up will work without additional losses on efficiency
>17% module efficiency expected with further optimisation !
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Thank you for your attention
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Modules: Presence and Future
Cell EMPA
Cell area: 0.5 cm2
Submodule Gen3
Module Gen3
Submodule size:
0.88 x 1 m2
Submodule area:
3 x 0.88 m2 = 2.64 m2
Frontsheet area:
2.7 m2 (0,9 x 3.0 m2)
Submodule Gen1
Submodule size:
12x24 cm
Submodule area:
4 x 269.1 cm2 = 1076.4 cm2
Module Gen1
Frontsheet area:
1456 cm2 (28.0 x 52.0 cm2)
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Very good location for Pilot Line found in
Niederhasli
•
Used to be a production facility
•
Construction work and installation
of facilities is required
•
Sufficient space even for further
extension
•
Difficult search in Zürich area
•
Search was supported by
Standortförderung des Kanton Zürich
•
Ideal location for pilot production could
be identified and rented
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Markets: BIPV & Solar Utilities
Beachside Solar Technologies / UniSolar
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics
(BIPV)
Panels encapsulated in flexible
laminates attached to the roof in different ways
Flisom AG
Solar Utilities:
Panels encapsulated
in glass
mp-tec / Solar Frontier
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Markets: Mobile Systems
Iowa Thin Film Technologies
Temporary structures
Relief operations
Field operations
Mobile
Devices
Vehicles:
Charging
Standby Cooling
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20.4% Record Efficiency (2013)
VOC = 736 mV
PV conversion deep into layer
Losses less than 10%
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Progress: 20.4% efficiency
Improvement in record efficiency of flexible solar cells
20.4%
Post-deposition Na
Lift-off process
Spin-coated PI and NaCl
Excellent potential to bring a paradigm shift as efficiency equals to Poly-Si
wafer cells but with additional advantages
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Si efficiency benchmarks:
25% Single Crystal wafer
20.4% multicrystalline wafer
CIGS efficiency benchmarks:
20.9% glass substrate
20.4% flexible polymer
Solar module production cost
reduction together by different
industries in the value chain
and ramp-up
Solar module production
cost reduction to follow the
trends
Modified slide based on data from NREL: http://www.nrel.gov/ncpv/images/efficiency_chart.jpg
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Differences in flexible substrate types
Metal substrate
Polymer substrate
Rough surface, kinks
Smooth surface
Conducting surface
Insulating surface
Metal impurities
No metal impurities
Requires coatings for
monolithic interconnections
No coatings required for
monolithic interconnections
High temperature 550 - 600 °C
Low temperature < 450 °C
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Vehicles
Vehicles: Increases efficiency
Charges battery
Powers ventilation when parked
Benefits of Flisom solution
~ 2.5 m2
Blends with curves  Large area
Low cost
 For all cars
Becomes standard product
 Payback within 3 years
Problems with current solutions
~ 0.5 m2
Fragile and flat  Small area
Expensive
 Only for pricey cars
Fashion accessory
 No investment payback
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Mobile power
Mobile power: Off-road battery chargers
Mobile electronics
Benefits of Flisom solution
Lightweight, rollable, easy to carry
Survives impacts
High efficiency
 Small area provides charge
 Great for mobile applications
Problems with existing solutions
Heavy to carry
Rigid or semi-rigid
Low efficiency of flexible kits
 Battery chargers have large area
Restricts usability
Mobile phones:
30 min. in the sun  10 min. talk-time
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