Photovoltaic solar modules have growing importance as power sources in the world’s electricity infrastructure. Electricity generated by these modules is transported out via a conductive film layer, which is traditionally deposited using a vapor-phase process.

Alchimer’s proprietary barrier solution yields stronger chemical bonds with the cell’s surface and brings many advantages, including:

-- Higher conductivity, which allows use of narrower lines of solid copper or other plated metal. This is an important efficiency consideration, as about 20% of today's solar cell designs are obscured by metal. A 50 percent linewidth reduction (which is well within reach) increases effective cell area by 12.5 percent.

-- Shallower junctions, which provide greater capture of the higher-energy blue region of the solar spectrum (offering a 5-10 percent output boost).

-- Thinner wafers, which minimize the distance between the PN junction and the back collector. This results in much lower recombination of carriers and ensures that all current flows through series resistance, so no electrical compromise is involved. Power increases from 16 percent to between 20 and 22.4 percent can be obtained with this improvement.