The spray-ILGAR® (ion layer gas reaction) method for the deposition of thin semiconductor layers: Process and applications for thin film solar cells

Fischer, Christian‐Herbert; Allsop, N.; Gledhill, Sophie; Köhler, Tristan; Krüger, Martin; Sáez-Araoz, Rodrigo; Fu, Yanpeng; Schwieger, Robert; Richter, Johannes M.; Wohlfart, Peter; Bärtsch, Peter; Lichtenberg, Nils; Lux‐Steiner, Martha Ch.

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2010.12.019

Cited by 39 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…From our previous study (Fischer et al, 2011) we know that increasing the carrier gas flow rate shortens the residence time of the aerosol over the substrate. Therefore, we increased the N 2 flow rate from 5 L/min to 7 L/min and used the H 2 S flow rate of 5 mL/min (recipe 2) while other deposition parameters were as mentioned in the beginning of this section.…”

Section: Properties Of Zn(os) Layersmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…In this study, a simple, fast and costefficient atmospheric pressure aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) was used. The AACVD is a simple non-vacuum process where the deposition temperatures do not exceed 250°C (Fischer et al, 2011) and the deposition of the solar cell component is a continuous operation; breaking of the vacuum for the P2 scribing (second scribing step in monolithically integrated devices) between intrinsic ZnO (i-ZnO) and n-type (n-ZnO), that is necessary for the regular solar cell structure where P2 is applied after the i-ZnO deposition, is avoided.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Study of Zn(O,S) films grown by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition and their application as buffer layers in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells

et al. 2015

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To reduce the use of toxic and expensive elements in chalcopyrite thin film solar cells, materials such as cadmium or indium used in buffer layers need to be substituted. Zn(O,S) is considered to be a potential buffer layer material when deposited with a fast and inexpensive method. Zn(O,S) layers have been prepared by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) technique. AACVD technique is a simple non-vacuum process where the thin film deposition temperatures do not exceed 250°C. 10 mM spray solution was made by dissolving zinc(II)acetylacetonate monohydrate in ethanol. The films were grown on Mo substrate at 225°C (film growth temperature). The effect of deposition parameters (spray solution concentration, N 2 flow rate, H 2 S flow rate) on Zn(O,S) thin film properties were studied with SEM and XRD. Thereupon optimizing the deposition parameters, homogeneous and compact Zn(O,S) thin films were obtained and the films were employed in the chalcopyrite thin film solar cell structure by growing films on Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 substrates industrially produced by BOSCH Solar CISTech GmbH. The resulting cells were studied using current-voltage and quantum efficiency analysis and compared with solar cell references that include In 2 S 3 and CdS as buffer layer deposited by ion layer gas reaction and chemical bath deposition, respectively. The best output of the solar cell containing Zn(O,S) as buffer layer and without intrinsic ZnO under standard test conditions (AM 1.5G, 100 mW/cm 2 , 25°C) is: Voc=573 mV, Jsc=39.2 mA/cm 2 , FF=68.4% and efficiency of 15.4% being slightly better than the In 2 S 3 or CdS containing solar cell references.

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Section: Properties Of Zn(os) Layersmentioning

confidence: 96%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of Zn(O,S) films grown by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition and their application as buffer layers in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells

et al. 2015

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“…Aluminum Oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) was deposited using the Ion Layer Gas Reaction (Spray-ILGAR) method [5] at temperature of 500°C, with Nitrogen (carrier gas) flow rate of 5L/min, and a solution rate of 100 ml per 60 minutes.…”

Section: A Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optical Properties of Front and Second Surface Silver-Based and Molybdenum-Based Mirrors

Ennaceri¹,

Benyoussef²,

Ennaoui³

et al. 2016

IJET

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Abstract-The solar reflectors used in Concentrated SolarPower (CSP) technologies are either front-surface or second-surface mirrors. The advantage of second-surface mirrors over front-surface mirrors is due to the fact that the reflective layer in second-surface mirrors is covered from the front-side by glass, which allows protection against degradation factors and aggressive outdoor conditions. In this work, front surface mirrors and second-surface mirrors were prepared based on two reflective layers (Silver and Molybdenum). A comparison between the optical properties of the two mirrors' architectures was conducted using a Perkin Elmer LAMBDA 950 UV/Vis/NIR Spectrophotometer. The results show that first-surface mirrors top-protected with amorphous Aluminum Oxide (1μm thick) layer show a higher specular reflectance compared to second-surface mirrors, which makes Al 2 O 3 -top-protected front-surface mirrors the best candidate in CSP application. The deposition of the Al 2 O 3 layer was conducted using the Ion Layer Gas Reaction (Spray-ILGAR) technique, which did not alter the optical properties of the unprotected mirrors, conserving a high specular reflectance of the Silver-based first-surface mirrors (94% in the Near Infrared range).

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“…TiO 2 was deposited at a substrate temperature of 460 • C by using the Ion Layer Gas Reaction, which was carried out in Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), Germany, with a carrier gas (N 2 ) flow rate of 5 L/min. The Spray-ILGAR technique was developed and patented by HZB [9]. The solution was sprayed by an ultrasonic nebulizer, which are transported by the carrier gas (nitrogen) and subsequently deposited on the heated substrate, for 12 min.…”

Section: Preparation Of Titania On Stainless Steelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spray-ILGAR is an extension of the ion layer gas reaction (ILGAR) technique, which was developed and patented by the group of Professor Dr. Christian-Herbert Fischer at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy, in Berlin, Germany [8], and which is equivalent to the aerosol assisted chemical vapour depostition (AACVD) method [9]. ILGAR is a non-vacuum, thin-film deposition technique, involving a sequential and cyclic process that enables the deposition of semiconductor thin films, especially chalcopyrite absorber layers and buffer layers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preparation of Titania on Stainless Steel by the Spray-ILGAR Technique as Active Photocatalyst under UV Light Irradiation for the Decomposition of Acetaldehyde

et al. 2017

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Abstract:One of the methods used to produce buffer layers for thin film solar cells is the Spray ion layer gas reaction (SPRAY-ILGAR). This method has exhibited astonishing efficiencies in the fabrication of homogenous compact metal chalcogenide films. The same approach can be applied in the preparation of photocatalyst on a substrate, in order to acquire a homogeneous and durable layer. In this work, the Spray-ILGAR technique has been utilized in the preparation of titania photocatalysts on stainless steel, which was carried out at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy, in Berlin, Germany. The characterizations and photocatalytic testing of the synthesized materials were then done at the Institute of Catalysis, Hokkaido University. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that the titania was dispersed uniformly on top of the stainless steel, with a very durable and strong attachment. It was also found that the concentration of the titania on stainless steel can be easily varied by changing the concentration of the titania-precursor solution. Higher concentrations will result in a more compact and dense layer, while lowering the concentration of the precursor solution produces a less dense layer of TiO 2 . Apart from that, different temperatures did not change the distribution of the samples much. The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized materials was determined in terms of the photocatalytic decomposition of acetaldehyde under ultra violet (UV) light irradiation. The photocatalytic testing results proved that the samples can completely degrade acetaldehyde under UV irradiation. The heating temperature played a crucial role, as the sample prepared by with heating temperature of 550 • C, concentration of titania-precursor of 6.83 mM and a spraying time of 12 min showed the best results, requiring only 35 min to fully degrade 500 ppm of acetaldehyde.

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The spray-ILGAR® (ion layer gas reaction) method for the deposition of thin semiconductor layers: Process and applications for thin film solar cells

Cited by 39 publications

References 34 publications

Study of Zn(O,S) films grown by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition and their application as buffer layers in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells

Study of Zn(O,S) films grown by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition and their application as buffer layers in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 solar cells

Optical Properties of Front and Second Surface Silver-Based and Molybdenum-Based Mirrors

Preparation of Titania on Stainless Steel by the Spray-ILGAR Technique as Active Photocatalyst under UV Light Irradiation for the Decomposition of Acetaldehyde

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