Development of recycling and reuse technologies for large-area Cu(InGa)Se/sub 2/-based thin-film modules

The challenges not only to eliminate any complicated waste disposal but also to contribute to safeguard the environment as the corporate social responsibility are sincerely required in the production stage, so that simple and low-cost recycling and reuse technologies for the Cu(InGa)Se/sub 2/(CIGS)-based thin-film modules are, for the first time, successfully developed in this study. Among the collected materials, some have a high potential to reuse and recycle in the fabrication process of CIGS-based thin-film modules. Soda-lime glass collected from the 4-month-old 30 cm/spl times/30 cm-sized CIGS-based thin-film modules is reused as a substrate in their fabrication process and demonstrates the module efficiency of 11.9%, which is consistent with fresh one prepared at the same batch.