Thin-film solar panels are made from multiple different materials. The most common material used to create thin-film solar panels is, cadmium telluride or CdTe. Engineers place a layer of CdTe between transparent conducting layers to assist with capturing sunlight. A glass layer is placed on the top of the solar panel for extra protection.
Amorphous silicon (a-Si) can also be used to build thin-film solar panels. Amorphous silicon (a-Si) is almost the same as what is used in the compassioning of monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels. However, thin-film solar panels are not made up of solid silicon slices or wafers.
Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) is also used as a material to construct thin-film solar panels. All elements are placed between layers that make up the CIGS panels. Electrodes are placed on the front and the back of the solar material to allow capturing of electrical currents.