Two- and three-dimensional folding of thin film single-crystalline silicon for photovoltaic power applications

Xiaoying Guo, Huan Li, Bok Yeop Ahn, Eric B. Duoss, K. Jimmy Hsia, Jennifer A. Lewis, and Ralph G. Nuzzo
PNAS published ahead of print November 23, 2009 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0907390106

  1. Edited by George M. Whitesides, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and approved October 2, 2009 (received for review July 2, 2009)

Abstract

Fabrication of 3D electronic structures in the micrometer-to-millimeter range is extremely challenging due to the inherently 2D nature of most conventional wafer-based fabrication methods. Self-assembly, and the related method of self-folding of planar patterned membranes, provide a promising means to solve this problem. Here, we investigate self-assembly processes driven by wetting interactions to shape the contour of a functional, nonplanar photovoltaic (PV) device. A mechanics model based on the theory of thin plates is developed to identify the critical conditions for self-folding of different 2D geometrical shapes. This strategy is demonstrated for specifically designed millimeter-scale silicon objects, which are self-assembled into spherical, and other 3D shapes and integrated into fully functional light-trapping PV devices. The resulting 3D devices offer a promising way to efficiently harvest solar energy in thin cells using concentrator microarrays that function without active light tracking systems.

Footnotes

  • 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: r-nuzzo{at}illinois.edu

  • Author contributions: X.G., K.J.H., J.A.L., and R.G.N. designed research; X.G., H.L., B.Y.A., E.B.D., and K.J.H. performed research; X.G., K.J.H., and R.G.N. analyzed data; and X.G., H.L., K.J.H., J.A.L., and R.G.N. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

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Two- and three-dimensional folding of thin film single-crystalline silicon for photovoltaic power applications
Xiaoying Guo, Huan Li, Bok Yeop Ahn, Eric B. Duoss, K. Jimmy Hsia, Jennifer A. Lewis, Ralph G. Nuzzo
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nov 2009, pnas.0907390106; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0907390106
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