Effect of Cd diffusion on the electrical properties of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cell

Koprek, Anna; Zabierowski, P.; Pawłowski, M.; Sharma, Luv; Freysoldt, Christoph; Gault, Baptiste; Wuerz, Roland; Cojocaru‐Mirédin, Oana

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2021.110989

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Assuming dominant recombination in the SCR at V % V OC , the observed reduction in doping density by a factor of % 7 leads to a V OC loss of % 25-50 mV (depending on the ideality factor), [56] which is in the range measured in this study. That may also explain why the V OC values decrease again for very low [I]/ [III], where the doping apparently decreases again.…”

Section: Origin Of V Oc àJ Sc Anticorrelation With Varying Stoichiometrymentioning

confidence: 54%

Performance Limitations of Wide‐Gap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se₂ Thin‐Film Solar Cells

et al. 2021

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The effect of absorber stoichiometry in (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 (ACIGS) solar cells with bandgaps (E g ) > 1.40 eV is studied on a large sample set. It is confirmed that moving away in composition from ternary AgGaSe 2 by simultaneous reduction in Ga and Ag content widens the chalcopyrite single-phase region and thereby reduces the amount of ordered vacancy compounds (OVCs). As a consequence, a distortion in currentÀvoltage characteristics, ascribed to OVCs at the back contact, can be successfully avoided. A clear anticorrelation between open-circuit voltage (V OC ) and short-circuit current density (J SC ) is detected with varying absorber stoichiometry, showing decreasing V OC and increasing J SC values for [I]/[III] > 0.9. Capacitance profiling reveals that the absorber doping gradually decreases toward stoichiometric composition, eventually leading to complete depletion. It is observed that only such fully depleted samples exhibit perfect carrier collection, evidencing a very low diffusion length in wide-gap ACIGS films. The results indicate that OVCs at the surface play a minor or passive role for device performance. Finally, a solar cell with V OC ¼ 0.916 V at E g ¼ 1.46 eV is measured, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest value reported for this bandgap to date.

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Section: Origin Of V Oc àJ Sc Anticorrelation With Varying Stoichiometrymentioning

confidence: 54%

Performance Limitations of Wide‐Gap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se₂ Thin‐Film Solar Cells

et al. 2021

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“…Figure 17 shows the schematic band alignments of the CIGS/ CdS interface for the 30 and 60 nm CdS thin films considering the approximate band bending by Cd diffusion. [43][44][45][46] To investigate the schematic changes in the band alignment by thickness with and without HT, the mean ΔE C change of the band alignment for the 30 nm CdS layer was exhibited. The band alignment here is based on the CBM calculated by UPS and UV measurements as mentioned earlier, so it is approximate alignment compared to the CBM values obtained by IPES measurements.…”

Section: Detailed Mechanism Study and Establishing Optimized Buffer Layer Formation Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanism‐Based Approach of CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) Interfaces for CIGS Solar Cells through Deposition in Different Stages of Continuous Chemical Bath Deposition Reaction: Key to Achieving High Photovoltaic Performance

et al. 2021

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To accurately obtain an adjustable CdS layer, a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) system is used in the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method by measuring the frequency change. However, although the thickness of the CdS layers deposited using the QCM system can be accurately adjusted to the same thickness, CdS layers of the same thickness formed in each section of the continuous reaction are expected to have different properties due to the reaction rate and mechanism, ultimately affecting the performance of solar cells. Therefore, 30 nm‐thick CdS layers are formed in the various reaction sections (initial, middle, and late ranges) and their characteristics and performances are examined and compared with the conventional 60 nm‐thick CdS buffer layer. Most Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells with the 30 nm‐thick CdS buffer exhibit a higher efficiency than those with the 60 nm‐thick CdS buffer due to improved J sc. However, the CIGS with the 30 nm CdS formed in the middle range exhibits the lowest photovoltaic performance. To investigate this unexpected result, all the deposited CdS layers are chemically, structurally, and optically examined and the results are explained by a deposition mechanism study. Furthermore, the effect of heat treatment is demonstrated by band alignment.

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“…Last but not least, the chemical roughness of Li-bulk/LLZO heterointerface of about 15 nm is much superior than the typical roughness of less than 5 nm detected in typical semiconductor heterostructures. [30][31][32][33] Furthermore, the design of the next generation of green energy materials requires understanding the relationship between composition, structure, and electronic properties down to the interface level. This had not been possible to achieve until recently.…”

Section: Apt-based Correlative Microscopy and Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlative microscopy and techniques with atom probe tomography: Opportunities in materials science

Cojocaru-Mirédin

Devaraj²

2022

MRS Bulletin

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In the last decade, the applicability of atom probe tomography (APT) has been strongly extended from highly conductive materials such as metals and alloys to semiconductors and insulators as well as to more sophisticated systems. However, atom probe tomography can only provide information about composition for most of these complex materials, while the correlation between composition and other material properties such as structural, functional, and mechanical properties remains challenging to be analyzed by APT alone. Therefore, various groups worldwide have put notable efforts recently in combining APT with other microscopy methods and techniques ex situ and in situ with the goal to understand the composition–property interrelationships at the same position of the sample. Hence, the present work not only provides a short overview of such works, but also describes three short examples of possible opportunities in materials science when using correlative microscopy and techniques with atom probe tomography. Graphical abstract

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Effect of Cd diffusion on the electrical properties of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cell

Cited by 12 publications

References 58 publications

Performance Limitations of Wide‐Gap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se₂ Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Performance Limitations of Wide‐Gap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se₂ Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Mechanism‐Based Approach of CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) Interfaces for CIGS Solar Cells through Deposition in Different Stages of Continuous Chemical Bath Deposition Reaction: Key to Achieving High Photovoltaic Performance

Correlative microscopy and techniques with atom probe tomography: Opportunities in materials science

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Effect of Cd diffusion on the electrical properties of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cell

Cited by 12 publications

References 58 publications

Performance Limitations of Wide‐Gap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Performance Limitations of Wide‐Gap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Mechanism‐Based Approach of CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) Interfaces for CIGS Solar Cells through Deposition in Different Stages of Continuous Chemical Bath Deposition Reaction: Key to Achieving High Photovoltaic Performance

Correlative microscopy and techniques with atom probe tomography: Opportunities in materials science

Contact Info

Product

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Performance Limitations of Wide‐Gap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se₂ Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Performance Limitations of Wide‐Gap (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se₂ Thin‐Film Solar Cells

Mechanism‐Based Approach of CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) Interfaces for CIGS Solar Cells through Deposition in Different Stages of Continuous Chemical Bath Deposition Reaction: Key to Achieving High Photovoltaic Performance