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.

We present a process for manufacturing printable thin-film transistors (TFTs) that is based on solution processing and direct inkjet printing of polymer semiconductors, dielectrics, and conductors, as well as inorganic nanoparticle conductors. We show that the high device yield, uniformity, and resolution required for thin-film electronic applications can be achieved by using a substrate that contains a surface energy pattern to control the flow and spreading of inkjet droplets. This technique overcomes many of the limitations of current inkjet printing technology related to its limited droplet placement accuracy. We demonstrate the potential of this printing-based TFT manufacturing process with the fabrication of 50 dpi active-matrix, polymer dispersed liquid-crystal and Gyricon Smartpaper electronic paper displays.