The project objectives are focussed towards the understanding of fundamental degradation phenomena in thin film solar cells. Degradation is due to complex mechanisms related to inherent material stability, interdiffusion across junctions, and due to external influences such as ambient atmosphere and solar light, and it certainly depends on the type of semiconductors being used in the devices and how the solar cells are encapsulated. Despite this large variety of phenomena, the way degradation processes are identified relies on the observation of the temporal evolution of device performance and its relationship to microscopic changes in device materials and morphology.
