Thin-film Solar Cell

thin-film solar cell, type of device that is designed to convert lightenergy into electrical energy (through the photovoltaic effect) and is composed of micron-thick photon-absorbing material layers deposited over a flexible substrate. Thin-film solar cells were originally introduced in the 1970s by researchers at the Institute of Energy Conversion at the University of Delaware in the United States. The technology continuously improved so that in the early 21st century the global thin-film photovoltaic market was growing at an unprecedented rate and was forecast to continue to grow. Several types of thin-film solar cells are widely used because of their relatively low cost and their efficiency in producing electricity.