Quantitative analysis for CIGS thin films by surface analytical techniques

Abstract

The compound semiconductor Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) is well known as the next-generation solar cell material because of its high absorption coefficient for solar radiation, suitable band gap, ability to be deposited on flexible substrate materials, and producing highly flexible and lightweight solar panels. In order to improve the performance of solar cells, a quantitative and depth-resolved elemental analysis of photovoltaic thin films is strongly required. In this study, we determined the average concentration of the major elements, Cu, In, Ga, and Se in fabricated CIGS thin films, using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence, and electron probe microanalysis. Depth profiling results for CIGS samples using AES, XPS, magnetic sector SIMS, and time of flight SIMS were also obtained to compare their atomic concentration results. In the SIMS technique, detection of MCs + clusters reduced possible matrix effects because of the variant concentrations of In and Ga. The reproducibility and accuracy of quantitative analysis were investigated as a function of ion sputtering energy. The compositional distributions of CIGS absorber layers as measured by MCs + -SIMS showed good agreement with those of AES and XPS.

Atomic spectrometry update. Review of advances in the analysis of metals, chemicals and functional materials

“…Osmium can be used to investigate petroleum system processes. Sen et al 49 investigated the determination of Os concentrations and 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios in crude oils and source rocks using high pressure, high temperature digestion with sparging OsO 4 and multi-collector ICP-MS analysis. The 187 Os/ 188 Os ratio is based on the beta decay of 187 Re to 187 Os with a half-life of 41.6 billion years.…”

“…Sen et al 49 investigated the determination of Os concentrations and 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios in crude oils and source rocks using high pressure, high temperature digestion with sparging OsO 4 and multi-collector ICP-MS analysis. The 187 Os/ 188 Os ratio is based on the beta decay of 187 Re to 187 Os with a half-life of 41.6 billion years. Despite its broad applicability to studies of hydrocarbon deposits worldwide, a suitable matrix-matched reference material for Os determination does not exist.…”

“…This method signicantly reduces the total procedural time compared with conventional Carius tube digestion followed by Os separation, purication using solvent extraction, microdistillation and negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) analysis. A commercially available vanadium crude oil reference material from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (NIST 8505) was analysed and the method yielded an Os concentration of 28 AE 4 pg CI (per cubic inch) and a 187 Os/ 188 Os of 1.62 AE 0.15. The reference material NIST 8505 is homogeneous with respect to Os concentration at a test portion size of 0.2 g. Therefore, 187 Os/ 188 Os composition and Os concentration of NIST 8505 can serve as a matrix-matched reference material for Os determination.…”

“…A commercially available vanadium crude oil reference material from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (NIST 8505) was analysed and the method yielded an Os concentration of 28 AE 4 pg CI (per cubic inch) and a 187 Os/ 188 Os of 1.62 AE 0.15. The reference material NIST 8505 is homogeneous with respect to Os concentration at a test portion size of 0.2 g. Therefore, 187 Os/ 188 Os composition and Os concentration of NIST 8505 can serve as a matrix-matched reference material for Os determination.…”

Quantitative Analysis and Band Gap Determination for CIGS Absorber Layers Using Surface Techniques

“…Many research groups have studied the composition of CIGS absorber layers through inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and wavelength-dispersed electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) [ 11 – 14 ]. Recently, femtosecond laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ( fs -LA-ICP-MS) has been applied for the analysis of CIGS solar-cell film due to the sensitivity, rapid analysis, and minimal consumption of the region for an elemental analysis [ 15 – 18 ].…”