Volume 30, No. 1
January 2005

Production Aspects of Organic Photovoltaics and Their Impact on the Commercialization of Devices
Christoph J. Brabec, Jens A. Hauch, Pavel Schilinsky, and Christoph Waldauf

Abstract
The essential cost–driving factor for the production of classical photovoltaic devices is the expensive investment in costly semiconductor processing technologies. This unfavorable cost structure has so far prohibited the technology from having a significant impact on global energy production. Nevertheless, the continued high interest in photovoltaics originates from the fact that they represent the only truly portable renewable–energy conversion technology available today. Therefore, the potential of fabricating organic photovoltaic elements on low–cost, thin plastic substrates by standard printing and coating techniques and packaged by lamination is not only intriguing, but highly attractive from a cost standpoint. In this article, we discuss the economic and technical production aspects for organic photovoltaics

Keywords: organic photovoltaics, polymer electronics, printing technologies.