The opportunity:

Currently the photovoltaics (PV) market is dominated by silicon PV modules. However, thin film PV manufacturing is poised to solve the cost issue associated with silicon cells. Yet fabrication of current thin film solar cell technologies involves costly evaporation techniques, which hinder their mass market adoption.

CIGS, CGS, and CIS nano-inks (copper, indium, gallium, (di)selenide) are just one example of what the thin film photovoltaic industry is currently trying to utilize.  Although CIGS solar cells, currently, may not be as efficient as crystalline silicon solar cells, they are expected to be substantially cheaper.

We believe that the roadblock for future cost competitiveness will be high throughput manufacturing of very efficient nano-inks.  These inks will have to be produced in a separate process before being laid on the substrate if one is looking for the ultimate PV device; one that is not only sufficiently efficient, but also inexpensive to make and install.

As component costs of the next generation PV cells drop, manufacturers will look for a disruptive technology such as Irilliant’s for the low cost production of the photovoltaic nanoinks necessary to power their PV cells. Irilliant’s high-throughput, continuous synthesis processes will enable the low-cost production of PV nano-inks.

Materials of interest:

Irilliant has utilized its expertise in the synthesis of nanocrystals such as quantum dots (QDs) to develop a range of novel copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIS, CGS and CIGS) nano-inks and finally some very promising new materials such a SnTe inks. All these materials can be manufactured with good quality at low cost and high throughput; matching the needs of solar cell device manufacturers.