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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →A flexible plastic sheet patterned with tiny V-shaped grooves provided the foundation for a distinctive perovskite solar-cell design. In a 2019 study, researchers put different charge-collecting contacts on opposite walls of each groove and filled the channel with light-absorbing perovskite. The result was a research-scale back-contact micro-module—not a consumer product, but a manufacturing concept built around a geometry that could potentially suit roll-to-roll processing.
What the “groove” changes
Conventional solar-cell layers are often arranged in a stack, with charge-extraction layers above or below the light-absorbing material. In the design reported by Michael Wong-Stringer and co-authors, the contacts instead sit on the opposing sides of narrow grooves. Charges move laterally through the active material toward those contacts.
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The researchers argued that this layout could avoid light being absorbed by charge-extraction layers positioned above the active material. That is the design rationale for this architecture, not proof that back-contact cells as a class outperform planar cells.
How the flexible microgroove device was made
- Emboss the substrate. V-shaped microgrooves were pressed into acrylic-coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a flexible plastic film.
- Place the contacts on opposite walls. Directional evaporation deposited electron-selective and hole-selective contacts on opposing groove walls.
- Fill the grooves with the absorber. A methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite precursor was spin-coated so the active material filled the channels.
The grooves described for the devices were roughly 1.6–3 micrometres wide. The arrangement also avoids conventional front-side electrode patterning, a feature relevant to the authors’ manufacturing rationale.
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What the 2019 devices achieved
Wong-Stringer and colleagues reported these results for their tested research devices:
| Device or measurement | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Individual groove | Maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.3% |
| Multi-groove micro-module | Maximum PCE of 4.4% |
| 16-groove micro-module | Open-circuit voltage of 14.6 V |
These are study results, not specifications for a commercial panel. The individual-groove figure and module figure describe different device scales, so they should not be treated as directly interchangeable. Module efficiency also depends on how the inactive space between grooves is counted; the paper discusses using a geometric fill factor to account for that area. Meaningful comparisons require the same active-area convention, device scale, illumination and measurement conditions.
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Why the process was proposed for roll-to-roll production
Embossing patterns into a flexible web and depositing materials directionally are processes the authors considered potentially compatible with high-throughput roll-to-roll manufacturing. In principle, such a line could process a continuous sheet rather than fabricate each small device as a separate rigid cell.
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What the stability result does—and does not—show
For preliminary stability work, the researchers stored devices in darkness under nitrogen for 150 days and reported improvement in measured performance metrics during storage. This is a specific inert-storage observation. It does not establish how the devices perform under sunlight, humidity, temperature cycling, encapsulated outdoor operation or years of service.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Study context
The primary paper, “A flexible back-contact perovskite solar micro-module,” by Michael Wong-Stringer and co-authors, appeared in Energy & Environmental Science, volume 12, pages 1928–1937. It was first published on 3 May 2019. The authors’ affiliations included the University of Sheffield, Power Roll Limited and Ossila Limited. Chemistry World covered the work on 22 May 2019 in Ruth Zadik’s article, “Perovskite photovoltaics get their groove on.”
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