Low temperature (Zn,Sn)O deposition for reducing interface open-circuit voltage deficit to achieve highly efficient Se-free Cu(In,Ga)S<sub>2</sub> solar cells

Sood, Mohit; Adeleye, Damilola; Shukla, Sudhanshu; Törndahl, Tobias; Siebentritt, Susanne

doi:10.1039/d2fd00046f

Cited by 5 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…[33] Before 2015, the best efficiency was reached with the addition of Ga, still using absorbers grown under Cu excess. [69] However, the current record solar cell with an efficiency of 15.5% [17] and all reported Cu(In,Ga)S 2 solar cells with efficiencies around 15% [19][20][21]70] are prepared from Cu-poor absorbers. The difference is attributed to the fact that Cu-rich solar cells are dominated by interface recombination.…”

Section: Deep Defectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The best Cu(In,Ga)S 2 solar cells show efficiencies of around 15%. [17,[19][20][21]70] Figure 10 analyses their photovoltaic parameters as a ratio of the Shockley-Queisser parameter. The bandgaps are either given in the publication or inferred from the inflection point of the published EQE spectrum.…”

Section: Comparison Of Loss Mechanisms In Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[19] Other buffers that form a favorable interface with Cu-poor Cu(In,Ga)S 2 have been shown to be ZnMgO [70] or ZnSnO. [20] However, as discussed earlier, solar cells based on Cu-rich absorbers are always dominated by interface recombination, regardless of the buffer used. [19,60,72] Fermi-level pinning can be excluded based on photoemission spectroscopy, where interface-induced band bending is always observed.…”

Section: Interface Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For Cu-poor absorbers containing Ga, CdS buffers may form a cliff; in this case, it is necessary to use an alternative buffer. [19,20,70,104] All our best solar cells are based on Cu-poor absorber and show an activation energy of the saturation current equal to the bandgap [19] and an interface V OC loss around 20 meV or lower, if alternative buffers are used with a higher conduction band edge. [19,20] It should be noted, though, that the Cu(In,Ga)S 2 solar cell with a reported bandgap of 1.65 eV and using a CdS buffer is not dominated by interface recombination.…”

Section: Interface Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[78,105] Thus, Figure 7 can give insights into Figure 10. Ratios of open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and fill factor of the best reported Cu(In,Ga)S 2 solar cells [17,[19][20][21]70] with respect to the corresponding Shockley-Queisser values. All reported cells are equipped with an anti reflective coating.…”

Section: Bulk Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sulfide Chalcopyrite Solar Cells––Are They the Same as Selenides with a Wider Bandgap?

Siebentritt

Lomuscio

Adeleye

et al. 2022

Physica Rapid Research Ltrs

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Sulfide chalcopyrite solar cells are receiving renewed interest since they have reached a certified efficiency above 15%. Due to their wider bandgap, they are interesting candidates for top cells in tandem applications. They share many properties with the much deeper studied selenide chalcopyrites, but also some important differences. While the structure of shallow and deep defects appears very similar, the phase diagram is different with a much smaller existence range of Cu‐poor CuInS2. The problematic character of the surface of material grown under Cu excess is present in both sulfides and selenides. Both materials show increased tail states when grown Cu‐poor. To achieve sufficient bulk quality of sulfide absorbers, higher growth temperatures and a higher supply of sodium appear to be necessary.

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Section: Deep Defectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Comparison Of Loss Mechanisms In Solar Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Interface Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Interface Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Bulk Recombinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sulfide Chalcopyrite Solar Cells––Are They the Same as Selenides with a Wider Bandgap?

Siebentritt

Lomuscio

Adeleye

et al. 2022

Physica Rapid Research Ltrs

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On the role of sodium and copper off‐stoichiometry in Cu (In,Ga)S₂ for photovoltaic applications: Insights from the investigation of more than 500 samples

Choubrac

Bertin

Pineau

et al. 2023

Progress in Photovoltaics

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The present article discusses the investigation of CuIn1−xGaxS2 (CIGS) thin films for photovoltaic applications. For decades, a Cu‐rich composition has been used to create solar cells with efficiencies of up to 13.5%; however, interest in chalcopyrite sulfide has recently been revived due to its high and adjustable bandgap, making it a serious candidate as a top cell in tandem configurations. Although chalcopyrite selenides share many properties with CIGS thin films, crucial differences have been reported. To further understand these materials, we studied more than 500 samples of absorbers and resulting solar cells. First, we found that the compositional window for obtaining single‐phase CIGS thin films with a three‐stage co‐evaporation process is very narrow. Second, we reported that a combination of low copper content and sodium addition during growth is required to maximize the photoluminescence intensity (i.e., to minimize the absorber‐related open‐circuit voltage losses). Finally, we showed that solar cell performance and stability depend not only on absorber quality but also on phenomena at interfaces (absorber/buffer and grain boundaries). Altogether, we formulate growth recommendations for the manufacture of stable CIGS/CdS solar cells with state‐of‐the‐art efficiency.

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Chalcopyrite solar cells —state-of-the-art and options for improvement

Siebentritt

Weiss

2022

Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron.

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Chalcopyrite solar cells will have to play an important role to mitigate the climate crisis, because of their particularly low carbon emissions. Doping in these semiconductors is due to native defects and intentional alkali impurities. The recent progress in efficiency has been made possible by post-deposition treatments with heavy alkalis. Tail states and band gap distribution are the main limitations for the open circuit voltage in state-of-the-art chalcopyrite solar cells. Further efficiency limitations are due to the increased diode factor because of metastable defect transitions. Alloying with Ag opens new possibilities of band-edge engineering, as well as seems to improve the diode factor. In state-of-the-art cells the back contact is passivated by a Ga gradient; considerable research has been done to passivate the back contact by structured or continuous dielectric layers. A leap forward in efficiency can be expected from tandem cells. Chalcopyrite solar cells show promising potential as bottom cells as well as top cells.

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Low temperature (Zn,Sn)O deposition for reducing interface open-circuit voltage deficit to achieve highly efficient Se-free Cu(In,Ga)S₂ solar cells

Abstract: Cu(In,Ga)S2 holds the potential to become a prime candidate for use as the top cell in tandem solar cells owing to its tunable bandgap from 1.55 eV (CuInS2) to 2.50...

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

Sulfide Chalcopyrite Solar Cells––Are They the Same as Selenides with a Wider Bandgap?

Sulfide Chalcopyrite Solar Cells––Are They the Same as Selenides with a Wider Bandgap?

On the role of sodium and copper off‐stoichiometry in Cu (In,Ga)S₂ for photovoltaic applications: Insights from the investigation of more than 500 samples

Chalcopyrite solar cells —state-of-the-art and options for improvement

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Low temperature (Zn,Sn)O deposition for reducing interface open-circuit voltage deficit to achieve highly efficient Se-free Cu(In,Ga)S2 solar cells

Abstract: Cu(In,Ga)S2 holds the potential to become a prime candidate for use as the top cell in tandem solar cells owing to its tunable bandgap from 1.55 eV (CuInS2) to 2.50...

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

Sulfide Chalcopyrite Solar Cells––Are They the Same as Selenides with a Wider Bandgap?

Sulfide Chalcopyrite Solar Cells––Are They the Same as Selenides with a Wider Bandgap?

On the role of sodium and copper off‐stoichiometry in Cu (In,Ga)S2 for photovoltaic applications: Insights from the investigation of more than 500 samples

Chalcopyrite solar cells —state-of-the-art and options for improvement

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Product

Resources

About

Low temperature (Zn,Sn)O deposition for reducing interface open-circuit voltage deficit to achieve highly efficient Se-free Cu(In,Ga)S₂ solar cells

On the role of sodium and copper off‐stoichiometry in Cu (In,Ga)S₂ for photovoltaic applications: Insights from the investigation of more than 500 samples