At RCA, his work with David Carlson led to the invention of thin film hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells.
[1] In 1976, together with David Staebler, he discovered the Staebler-Wronski effect, which describes reversible, light-induced changes in the optoelectronic properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon.
In 1978, Chris joined the Exxon Research Laboratories where he was a member of the team that developed optical enhancement for amorphous silicon solar cells.
Together with David E. Carlson, he received the 1984 IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award "for crucial contributions to the use of amorphous silicon in low-cost, high-performance photovoltaic solar cells."
In 1987, Dr. Wronski joined the faculty in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Penn State University where he continued his research on amorphous silicon solar cells.