ABSTRACT
The photophysical properties of CuInxGa1-xS2 (CIGS) thin films, prepared by solution-based coating methods, are investigated to understand the correlation between the optical properties of these films and the electrical characteristics of solar cells fabricated using these films. Photophysical properties, such as the depth-dependent band gap and carrier lifetime, turn out to be at play in determining the energy conversion efficiency of solar cells. A double grading of the band gap in CIGS films enhances solar cell efficiency, even when defect states disturb carrier collection by non-radiative decay. The combinational stacking of different density films leads to improved solar cell performance as well as efficient fabrication because a graded band gap and reduced shunt current increase carrier collection efficiency. The photodynamics of minority-carriers suggests that the suppression of defect states is a primary area of improvement in CIGS thin films prepared by solution-based methods.
ABSTRACT
We have demonstrated the first example of carbon- and oxygen-free Cu(In,Ga)(SSe)2 (CIGSSe) absorber layers prepared by electrospraying a CuInGa (CIG) precursor followed by annealing, sulfurization, and selenization at elevated temperature. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy showed that the amorphous as-deposited (CIG) precursor film was converted into polycrystalline CIGSSe with a flat-grained morphology after post-treatment. The optimal post-treatment temperature was 300 °C for annealing and 500 °C for both sulfurization and selenization, with a ramp rate of 5 °C/min. The carbon impurities in the precursor film were removed by air annealing, and oxide that was formed during annealing was removed by sulfurization. The fabricated CIGSSe solar cell showed a conversion efficiency of 4.63% for a 0.44 cm(2) area, with Voc = 0.4 V, Jsc = 21 mA/cm(2), and FF = 0.53.
ABSTRACT
To fabricate low-cost and printable wide-bandgap CuInxGa1-xS2 (CIGS) thin-film solar cells, a method based on a precursor solution was developed. In particular, under this method, multiple coatings with two pastes with different properties (e.g., viscosity) because of the different binder materials added were applied. Paste A could form a thin, dense layer enabling a high-efficiency solar cell but required several coating and drying cycles for the desired film thickness. On the other hand, paste B could easily form one-micrometer-thick films by means of a one-time spin-coating process but the porous microstructure limited the solar cell performance. Three different configurations of the CIGS films (A + B, B + A, and A + B + A) were realized by multiple coatings with the two pastes to find the optimal stacking configuration for a combination of the advantages of each paste. Solar cell devices using these films showed a notable difference in their photovoltaic characteristics. The bottom dense layer increased the minority carrier diffusion length and enhanced the short-circuit current. The top dense layer could suppress interface recombination but exhibited a low optical absorption, thereby decreasing the photocurrent. As a result, the A + B configuration could be suggested as a desirable simple stacking structure. The solar cell with A + B coating showed a highly improved efficiency (4.66%) compared to the cell with a film prepared by paste B only (2.90%), achieved by simple insertion of a single thin (200 nm), dense layer between the Mo back contact and a thick porous CIGS layer.
