Mitigation of Crack Formation During Thermo-Mechanical Delamination of CdTe Solar Cells

Controlled thermo-mechanical delamination of thin-film solar cells offers a promising approach to drastically improve flexibility and specific power (power-to-weight ratio). However, the issue of film cracking during the delamination process must first be addressed. Here, we examine the causes of cracking during and after delamination, where it is found that cracking is heavily influenced by the material properties of the stressor layer used to induce delamination and the glass substrate that the solar cell is grown on. We then present several ways to reduce cracking during the delamination process.