Pulsed laser annealing of spray casted Cu(In,Ga)Se2 nanocrystal thin films for solar cell application

Extrinsic Doping of Ink‐Based Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2‐Absorbers for Photovoltaic Applications

“…[ 40,85 ] Several ink coating techniques are available, including doctor blade, spin‐coating, screen printing, curtain‐coating, and die‐casting, amongst others. [ 40,86–89 ] Broadly, the liquid‐based (or non‐vacuum) deposition processes can be performed either by immersing the substrate in a precursor solution (e.g., chemical bath deposition (CBD)), [ 90 ] electrodeposition (ED) [ 91,92 ] ) or by coating the substrate with a precursor ink (IDR). [ 40 ] For recent comprehensive reviews of the different IDRs (both molecular ink (MI) and NP based), the reader is referred to.…”

“…during ink deposition. [ 86,87 ] Furthermore, the low packing density of NP precursor layers, along with relatively high sintering temperatures of NPs, can pose challenges in achieving dense, void‐free absorber layers. [ 62,107,108 ] Residual porosity of the absorbers is detrimental to device performance as it allows for the CdS (buffer layer) material to penetrate through the film and create shunt paths.…”

“…[ 60,88,112 ] Some researchers have used annealing processes relying on exposing the porous NP films to intense light sources to enhance grain coarsening. [ 87 ] Comprehensive reviews describing the basics of the inorganic NP synthesis, growth mechanisms, reaction chemistry, and ink preparation for PV application have been published. [ 7,92,109,110,113 ]…”

Impact of selenization with NaCl treatment on the physical properties and solar cell performance of crack-free Cu(In,Ga)Se2 microcrystal absorbers

“…5,6 One of the most promising approaches is the fabrication of low-cost solar cells via absorber layer coating using pre-synthesized quaternary CIGSe nanocrystal powder with a single-phase and targeted composition. 7,8 Therefore, ink is commonly formulated by dispersing CIGSe nanocrystal powder in organic or inorganic solvents and subsequently coated as thin lms onto a substrate via spin coating, 9 blade coating, 10 spray casting, 11 drop-casting, 7 and other methods.…”

“…[15][16][17] Similarly, solar cell performance is rmly limited by nanosized grains. 11,[17][18][19][20] Therefore, CIGSe nanocrystal ink-coated thin lms are subjected to high-temperature annealing under a Se/Ar atmosphere, known as the selenization process, to eliminate residues and obtain microsized grains. Several researchers have demonstrated enhancement in the selenization process by performing surface treatment (1 M NaCl), which leads to the formation of polyselenide phases that act as additional Se sources.…”