Materials Markets for Thin-Film and Organic Photovoltaics

Abstract

The driving force for TFPV product development is improvements in energy conversion efficiency and this is largely a materials issue. This new report analyzes the market for materials used in thin-film and organic photovoltaics. The PV technologies covered in this study include amorphous silicon, CIS/CIGS, cadmium telluride, dye cells and "pure" organic approaches and for each of these approaches we provide an in-depth review of the advantages, disadvantages, research directions, and manufacturability associated with these materials.

For each type of PV covered we look at the market opportunities for the feedstock materials used in the photoactive layer, whether they are the silane gas used for amorphous silicon or the organic dyes used in dye cells. We also examine some of the further out possibilities for making PV cells; nanosilicon inks, CIGS nanocrystals and silicon slivers, for example. This report takes a look at when and if such technology platforms will lead to improved price performance ratios.

The report also reviews the requirements of emerging production processes on materials requirements. We examine the new forms of manufacturing from specialized forms of vacuum deposition to flexo printing. These new production modes will require not so much different kinds of materials as new formulations. The art of PV ink making, for example, is only just being understood. And various commercial firms and university departments are seeking out improved ways of depositing organic materials for OPV and organic electronics more generally; the challenge here being to create processes that do not thermally destroy the materials while the deposit them. What materials will have to be made into inks? Where is sputtering and vapor deposition seen as useful approaches to manufacturing?

But this report goes well beyond a discussion of the photoactive materials and includes a discussion of the metallic and transparent conductors used in thin-film PV, as well as substrates and other related materials such as barrier coatings and encapsulation materials. The manufacturers of various forms of transparent conductors that are widely used in top contacts should be interested in what is going on in TFPV, which increasingly represents a volume opportunity for the materials they have to offer. Yet another important materials market derived from the TFPV industry is in coatings and other materials designed to weatherproof the solar panels as much as possible. This area has assumed enormous importance in the OPV sector, because of the vulnerability of OPV to oxygen and water vapor. Then there are the substrates themselves. Traditional PV, including a-Si TFPV, makes regular use of glass substrates. Indeed, until very recently there were really few substitutes. However, this has changed in the past eighteen months of so and a hot button item for TFPV has become the issue of flexible substrates.

The materials strategies of solar panel makers have implications at every level of the value chain. This is because different materials supply structures have evolved to supply each kind of thin-film PV. If one considers the a-Si sector, for example, there is already a well established supply chain in this part of the TF PV business and at the materials levels the firms that stand to lose or gain are frequently large silane gas feedstock suppliers for photovoltaic applications. If one looks at the organic PV segment there is a quite different group of firms making the required materials and a fuzzy line between the manufacturers of the materials and of the cell arrays themselves.

And then there is the growing issue of environmental friendliness. If TFPV is part of our effort to "save the planet," it surely shouldn' t use environmentally unfriendly materials in the process. And in this report we review the environmental issues surrounding all of the major photoactive materials discussed in this report. Finally, in addition to technical and materials market analysis, this report includes profiles of major firms involved in developing and manufacturing thin film/organic photovoltaics materials, as well as detailed eight-year forecasts of the materials markets in value and volume terms with break outs by application and materials.

Executive Summary

E.1 Introduction
E.2 Opportunities of the a-Si Kind
E.3 Other Opportunities in Silicon
- E.3.1 Silicon Inks
- E.3.2 Silicon Silvers
- E.3.3 Other Approaches
E.4 CIS/CIGS
E.5 Cadmium Telluride
E.6 Materials for Organic and Hybrid PV
- E.6.1 Dye Sensitized Cells
- E.6.2 Quantum Dot and Nanocrystal Solar Cells
- E.6.3 Other Research and Development Directions
E.7 ITO and its Substitutes
E.8 Firms to Watch
- E.8.1 Inorganic Materials
- E.8.2 Organic Materials
E.9 Summary of Forecasts of Photovoltaic Materials

Chapter One: Introduction

1.1 Background to this Report
1.2 Objectives and Scope of this Report
1.3 Methodology of this Report
1.4 Plan of this Report

Chapter Two: Silicon Materials for Thin-Film Photovoltaics

2.1 Overview of a-Si-based TFPV
- 2.1.1 Key Performance and Reliability Characteristics
- 2.1.2 Cell Structures Used
2.2 Materials and Processes Used for a-Si-based TFPV
- 2.2.1 Materials Used
- 2.2.2 Key Manufacturers of Materials for a-Si-based TFPV Materials
- 2.2.3 Impact and Duration of Silicon Shortage
- 2.2.4 Environmental and Safety Issues with a-Si TFPV manufacture
2.3 Key Directions for R&D in a-Si Based TFPV Materials
2.4 Niche Directions for Silicon-Based TFPV
- 2.4.1 Silicon Inks: Innovalight
- 2.4.2 Silicon Film
- 2.4.3 Silicon Slivers

Chapter Three: CIS/CIGS Materials for Thin-Film Photovoltaics

3.1 Overview of CIS/CIGS-based TFPV
- 3.1.1 Key Performance and Reliability Characteristics
3.2 Material Formulations and Processes Used for CIS/CIGS-based TFPV
- 3.2.1 Materials Used
- 3.2.2 Manufacturing Challenges Using CIS/CIGS-based TFPV Materials
- 3.2.3 Key Manufacturers of Materials for CIS/CIGS -based TFPV Materials
- 3.2.4 Environmental and Safety Issues with CIS/CIGS TFPV Manufacture
3.3 Pricing Trends for CIS/CIGS Materials in the TFPV market
3.4 Key Directions for R&D in CIS/CIGS-based TFPV Materials

Chapter Four: CdTe Materials for Thin-Film Photovoltaics

4.1 Overview of CdTe Thin Film Photovoltaics
- 4.1.1 Key Performance and Reliability Characteristics
4.2 Material Formulations and Processes Used for CdTe-based TFPV
- 4.2.1 Materials Used
- 4.2.2 Manufacturing Challenges Using CdTe-based Thin Film Materials
- 4.2.3 Key Manufacturers of Materials for CdTe-based TFPV Materials
- 4.2.4 Environmental and Safety Issues with CdTe-based TFPV Materials
4.3 Pricing Trends for CdTe-based TFPV Materials
- 4.3.1 Tellurium
- 4.3.2 Cadmium
4.4 Key Directions for R&D in CdTe-based TFPV Materials

Chapter Five: Organic Materials for Thin-Film Photovoltaics

5.1 Overview of Organic and Hybrid-based Photovoltaics
- 5.1.1 Key Performance and Reliability Characteristics
- 5.1.2 Cells Structures and Design
5.2 Material Formulations and Processes Used for Organic/Hybrid-based TFPV
- 5.2.1 Applicable Printing Methods
- 5.2.2 Evaporation Techniques
- 5.2.3 Small Molecules
- 5.2.4 Polymers
- 5.2.5 DSSCs
- 5.2.6 Quantum Dot Solar Cells
- 5.2.7 Manufacturing Challenges Using Organic/Hybrid-Based TFPV Materials
5.3 Key Manufacturers of Materials for Organic/Hybrid-based TFPV Materials
- 5.3.1 BASF
- 5.3.2 Evonik Degussa
- 5.3.3 H.C. Starck
- 5.3.4 Konarka
- 5.3.5 Merck/EMD
- 5.3.6 Plextronics
- 5.3.7 Sumation
5.4 Environmental and Safety Issues with Organic/Hybrid-Based TFPV materials
5.5 Pricing Trends for Organic/Hybrid TFPV Materials
5.6 Key Directions for R&D in Organic/Hybrid TFPV Materials
- 5.6.1 Polymer: Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells
- 5.6.2 Organic/Nanocrystal Solar Cells
- 5.6.3 Tandem Cells

Chapter Six: Other Materials Used in Thin-Film Photovoltaics

6.1 Current and Future Use of Compound Semiconductors in TFPV
- 6.1.1 GaAs
- 6.1.2 InP
- 6.1.3 Other Compound Materials
6.2 Nanotubes, Nanowires and Nanorods
- 6.2.1 Key Firms Advocating Use of Nanomaterials in TFPV
- 6.2.2 ITO and its Substitutes
- 6.2.3 Other Inorganic Materials
- 6.2.4 Organic Materials
6.3 Encapsulation and Barrier Materials
- 6.3.1 Main Trends in Encapsulation Materials and Barrier coatings
- 6.3.2 Key Firms Developing Encapsulation and Barrier Materials for TFPV
6.4 Substrates for TFPV
- 6.4.1 Glass
- 6.4.2 Metal Foils
- 6.4.3 Plastic Polysulfone
- 6.4.4 Other

Chapter Seven: Eight-Year Forecasts of Thin-Film and Organic PV Markets

7.1 Forecasting Methodology
- 7.1.1 Notes on Growth of the TFPV Industry
- 7.1.2 Data Sources
- 7.1.3 Forecasting in a Hyper-Growth Market and Alternative Scenarios
7.2 Forecasts of Thin-Film, Organic and Printable PV Markets by Applications
- 7.2.1 Amorphous Silicon
- 7.2.2 CdTe
- 7.2.3 CIS/CIGS
- 7.2.4 Organic and Hybrid Organic/Inorganic Materials
7.3 Summaries of Eight-Year Thin-Film and Organic Materials Market Forecasts

Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in this Report

About the Authors

List of Exhibits

Exhibit E-1: Summary of Materials Used in Thin-Film/Organic PV by Type ($ Millions)
Exhibit 2-1: Manufacturing Approaches Adopted by CIGS Solar Panel Firms
Exhibit 5-1: Organic Solar Cell Manufacturing
Exhibit 5-2: OVPD versus Thermal Evaporation
Exhibit 6-1: Characteristics of Plastic Substrates
Exhibit 7-1: Alternative Scenarios for the Evolution of Thin-Film Photovoltaics
Exhibit 7-2: Materials Used in a-Si Solar Cells
Exhibit 7-3: Materials Used in CdTe Solar Cells
Exhibit 7-4: Materials Used in CIGS/CIS Solar Cells
Exhibit 7-5: Materials Used in Organic/Hybrid Solar Cells
Exhibit 7-6: Summary of Materials Used in Thin-Film/Organic PV by Technology
Exhibit 7-7: Summary of Materials Used in Thin-Film/Organic PV by Type ($ Millions)