Ultrathin Solar Cells Reach Higher Photocurrent
Nanoimprinted silicon oxide pillars enable increased light absorption in research-stage bifacial solar modules.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Energy
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Researchers have demonstrated a new design for ultrathin bifacial solar cells that utilizes nanoimprinted silicon oxide pillars to boost light capture. This research-stage development aims to improve efficiency in thin-film photovoltaics.
Why it matters
This architecture addresses a key bottleneck in solar technology by enabling more efficient light absorption in ultrathin materials. The approach moves toward more material-efficient production methods for the photovoltaic industry.
The new bifacial cell architecture achieves a photocurrent of 36.2 mA cm-2. This is enabled by nanoimprinted silicon oxide pillars, which optimize light trapping at the rear interface of the cell.
The players
Hi-BITS
An EU-funded research project focused on advancing photovoltaic materials and system efficiencies.
FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia
The Portuguese public agency that provides national funding for research in science and technology.
The details
The cell utilizes nanoimprinting, a process that presses nanoscale patterns into a material, to create silicon oxide pillars that act as light-management structures. These pillars increase the path length of light within the cell, allowing the material to capture photons more effectively at the rear interface. This technique overcomes standard limitations in ultrathin solar cells, where insufficient light absorption typically restricts overall performance.
Timeline
October 26, 2026: Research publication date.
The Tech Race
This development follows a series of European initiatives aimed at reducing the material intensity of solar cell manufacturing. It specifically advances light-management strategies that compete with current thin-film benchmarks for silicon-based photovoltaic devices.
This development is currently limited to lab-based research and does not yet affect commercial solar panel availability or pricing. Industry stakeholders and manufacturers of thin-film photovoltaics will monitor the scalability of the nanoimprinting process for future module production.
The takeaway
The research establishes a new performance benchmark for light management in thin-film cells that could eventually lower the physical material requirements of solar panels. Future developments to watch include the integration of these pillars into larger-scale, commercial-sized module prototypes.
Further reading
For broader context on current photovoltaic development, see the Energy section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Nanowerk.
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