Konarka demonstrates inkjet printed solar cells

Lowell, Mass.-based solar company Konarka Technologies announced today it successfully conducted the first-ever demonstration of manufacturing solar cells by using inkjet printing.

The company said high efficiency inkjet printing is considered promising because the polymer devices can be fabricated very easily because of the compatibility with various substrates, and do not require additional patterning.

"Demonstrating the use of inkjet printing technology as a fabrication tool for highly efficient solar cells and sensors with small area requirements is a major milestone," said Rick Hess, president and CEO of Konarka, who took over the company last summer (see Konarka loses CEO, replaced by COO.)

"This essential breakthrough in the field of printed solar cells positions Konarka as an emerging leader in printed photovoltaics."

Konarka, which is backed by 3i Group, Chevron, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Eastman Chemical and New Enterprise Associates, said it discusses and analyzes the performance of the inkjet printed solar cells in an article to be published in Advanced Materials: High Photovoltaic Performance of Inkjet Printed Polymer:Fullerene Blends.

The company brands its product as Power Plastic®, touting it as flexible, lightweight, lower in cost and more versatile than traditional silicon-based solar cells, although its technology is far less efficient than silicon cells.

The company said inkjet printing is a commonly used technique for controlled deposition of solutions of functional materials in specific locations on a substrate and can provide easy and fast deposition of polymer films over a large area.

Konarka said the demonstration confirmed that organic solar cells can be processed with printing technologies with little or no loss, compared to "clean room" semiconductor technologies such as spin coating.