MiaSolé’s CIGS Solar Cell
When combined in the proper ratios, Copper, Indium, Gallium and Selenium form a semiconductor that can be applied as a thin film on many carrier substrates to create solar cells.
The CIGS photovoltaic effect was first discovered in the 1970s. Since then, government and university labs have dramatically advanced the understanding and efficiency of CIGS material, achieving 19.9% conversion efficiency at the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). CIGS is a direct band-gap semiconductor (in contrast to crystalline silicon, which is an indirect band-gap semiconductor). This difference is crucial, as it allows CIGS films to generate far more electricity per unit of material. A CIGS film as thin as 1 micron produces a photoelectric effect equal to that of a crystalline silicon wafer 200-300 microns thick. CIGS thin films have also demonstrated long term performance and reliability, with CIGS products having been studied in the field for 15 years. The CIGS ("absorber") layer absorbs photons, the first step in the transformation of solar energy to electricity.
In order to make a quality CIGS solar cell, multiple thin film layers of different materials must be uniformly deposited on a substrate, usually glass or a metal foil.
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| MiaSolé's CIGS Solar Cell |
