LAUSR

Flexible solar cells have received a growing attention recently due to their ever-increasing range of applications. Here, the development of ultra-flexible, lightweight and high-efficiency (19%) monocrystalline silicon solar cells with excellent reliability, mechanical resilience and thermal performance is demonstrated using a laser-patterning based corrugation technique. The flexing mechanism transforms wafer-scale rigid solar cells with interdigitated back contacts (IBC) into flexible ones with a preserved efficiency. Multiple corrugation patterns are studied, each resulting in different flexing capabilities in terms of flexing directionality and minimum bending radius, in addition to providing an atypical appearance with an aesthetic appeal. The corrugation method is shown to improve the thermal dissipation (14.6% lower temperature) and to relieve the thermal mismatch challenge compared to the rigid cells due to the fin-like architecture. Finally, the encapsulation using a transparent polymeric material enables a robust performance of the flexible cells when exposed to different environmental conditions.