Tin is a vital component of the transparent conductive electrodes in thin-film
PV (TFPV) cells, but its use is often overshadowed by that of indium, which
is much more costly. Tin is used along with indium in indium tin oxide (ITO)
and also without indium as tin oxide, which is frequently doped with other materials.
ITO has been falling out of favor for TFPV electrodes over the past decade but
still accounts for roughly one-third of the market. Tin oxide is one of two
major alternative TCOs gaining market share for TFPV electrodes (the other being
zinc oxide, similarly doped with other materials). Tin oxide's growing penetration
within the TFPV market is mainly due to two factors: a trend of substitution
for ITO in amorphous silicon (a-Si) PV and the growth of CdTe PV, which almost
universally uses tin oxide.
Growth in the TFPV industry will boost PV-related demand for ITO and tin oxide.
However, the high cost of ITO and the high-temperature deposition conditions
required for tin oxide will have implications for the long-term growth of these
materials in the PV industry, and these implications are discussed in the report.
The focus of the report is on the tin used within PV materials. The
Tin Markets for Photovoltaics report begins with a review of the state of
the PV industry and then analyzes tin's roles in each of the PV segments. Finally,
the report quantifies the opportunities for tin in the PV space through an eight-year
forecast.
The Tin
Markets for Photovoltaics report is one of a seven-report series on Metals
in PV available from Nanomarkets.
