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Za'abar F'I, Doroody C, Soudagar MEM, Chelvanathan P, Abdullah WSW, Zuhd AWM, Cuce E, Saboor S. Systematic inspection on the interplay between MoNa-induced sodium and the formation of MoSe 2 intermediate layer in CIGSe/Mo heterostructures. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2024; 31:27403-27415. [PMID: 38512568 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32938-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
The critical impact of sodium-doped molybdenum (MoNa) in shaping the MoSe2 interfacial layer, influencing the electrical properties of CIGSe/Mo heterostructures, and achieving optimal MoSe2 formation conditions, leading to improved hetero-contact quality. Notably, samples with a 600-nm-thick MoNa layer demonstrate the highest resistivity (73 μΩcm) and sheet resistance (0.45 Ω/square), highlighting the substantial impact of MoNa layer thickness on electrical conductivity. Controlled sodium diffusion through MoNa layers is essential for achieving desirable electrical characteristics, influencing Na diffusion rates, grain sizes, and overall morphology, as elucidated by EDX and FESEM analyses. Additionally, XRD results provide insights into the spontaneous peeling-off phenomenon, with the sample featuring a ~ 600-nm MoNa layer displaying the strongest diffraction peak and the largest crystal size, indicative of enhanced Mo to MoSe2 conversion facilitated by sodium presence. Raman spectra further confirm the presence of MoSe2, with its thickness correlating with MoNa layer thickness. The observed increase in resistance and decrease in conductivity with rising MoSe2 layer thickness underscore the critical importance of optimal MoSe2 formation for transitioning from Schottky to ohmic contact in CIGSe/Mo heterostructures. Ultimately, significant factors to the advancement of CIGSe thin-film solar cell production are discussed, providing nuanced insights into the interplay of MoNa and MoSe2, elucidating their collective impact on the electrical characteristics of CIGSe/Mo heterostructures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Camellia Doroody
- Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Manzoore Elahi Mohammad Soudagar
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Opole University of Technology, 45-758, Opole, Poland
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248002, India
| | - Puvaneswaran Chelvanathan
- Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Ahmad Wafi Mahmood Zuhd
- Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), 43000, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Erdem Cuce
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Zihni Derin Campus, 53100, Rize, Turkey.
- School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, B4 7XG, UK.
| | - Shaik Saboor
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
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Za’abar F‘I, Mahmood Zuhdi AW, Doroody C, Chelvanathan P, Yusoff Y, Abdullah SF, Bahrudin MS, Wan Adini WS, Ahmad I, Wan Abdullah WS, Amin N. Probing the Interplay between Mo Back Contact Layer Deposition Condition and MoSe 2 Layer Formation at the CIGSe/Mo Hetero-Interface. Materials (Basel) 2023; 16:2497. [PMID: 36984377 PMCID: PMC10055755 DOI: 10.3390/ma16062497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The effect of Mo thin film deposition power in DC sputtering on the formation of a MoSe2 interfacial layer grown via the annealing of CIGSe/Mo precursors in an Se-free atmosphere was investigated. A Mo layer was deposited on glass substrates using the DC magnetron sputtering method. Its electrical resistivity, as well as its morphological, structural, and adhesion characteristics, were analyzed regarding the deposition power. In the case of thinner films of about 300 nm deposited at 80 W, smaller grains and a lower volume percentage of grain boundaries were found, compared to 510 nm thick film with larger agglomerates obtained at 140 W DC power. By increasing the deposition power, in contrast, the conductivity of the Mo film significantly improved with lowest sheet resistance of 0.353 Ω/square for the sample deposited at 140 W. Both structural and Raman spectroscopy outputs confirmed the pronounced formation of MoSe2, resulting from Mo films with predominant (110) orientated planes. Sputtered Mo films deposited at 140 W power improved Mo crystals and the growth of MoSe2 layers with a preferential (103) orientation upon the Se-free annealing. With a more porous Mo surface structure for the sample deposited at higher power, a larger contact area developed between the Mo films and the Se compound was found from the CIGSe film deposited on top of the Mo, favoring the formation of MoSe2. The CIGSe/Mo hetero-contact, including the MoSe2 layer with controlled thickness, is not Schottky-type, but a favourable ohmic-type, as evaluated by the dark I-V measurement at room temperature (RT). These findings support the significance of regulating the thickness of the unintentional MoSe2 layer growth, which is attainable by controlling the Mo deposition power. Furthermore, while the adhesion between the CIGSe absorber layer and the Mo remains intact, the resistance of final devices with the Ni/CIGSe/Mo structure was found to be directly linked to the MoSe2 thickness. Consequently, it addresses the importance of MoSe2 structural properties for improved CIGSe solar cell performance and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmad Wafi Mahmood Zuhdi
- Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Camellia Doroody
- Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Puvaneswaran Chelvanathan
- Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yulisa Yusoff
- Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Siti Fazlili Abdullah
- College of Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Wan Sabeng Wan Adini
- UNITEN R&D Sdn. Bhd., Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ibrahim Ahmad
- UNITEN R&D Sdn. Bhd., Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Wan Syakirah Wan Abdullah
- TNB Renewables Sdn. Bhd., Blok B, Level 10, TNB Platinum, No. 3, Jalan Bukit Pantai, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur 59100, Malaysia
| | - Nowshad Amin
- Institute of Sustainable Energy, Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
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Gao Q, Zhang Y, Ao J, Bi J, Yao L, Guo J, Sun G, Liu W, Liu F, Zhang Y, Li W. New Solution-Processed Surface Treatment to Improve the Photovoltaic Properties of Electrodeposited Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 ( CIGSe) Solar Cells. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:25451-25460. [PMID: 34009933 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c00270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The surface Ga content for a CIGSe absorber was closely related to variation in the open-circuit voltage (VOC), while it was generally low on a CIGSe surface fabricated by two-step selenization. In this work, a solution-processed surface treatment based on spin-coating GaCl3 solution onto a CIGSe surface was applied to increase the Ga content on the surface. XPS, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and band gap extraction based on the external quantum efficiency response demonstrated that GaCl3 post deposition treatment (GaCl3-PDT) can be used to enhance the Ga content on the surface of a CIGSe absorber. Meanwhile, a solution-processed surface treatment with KSCN (KSCN-PDT) was employed to form a transmission barrier for holes by moving the valence band maximum downward and decreasing the interface recombination between the CdS and CIGSe layers. Admittance spectroscopy results revealed that deep defects were passivated by GaCl3-PDT or KSCN-PDT. By applying the combination of GaCl3-PDT and KSCN-PDT, a champion device was realized that exhibited an efficiency of 13.5% with an improved VOC of 610 mV. Comparing the efficiency of the untreated CIGSe solar cells (11.7%), the CIGSe device efficiency with GaCl3-PDT and KSCN-PDT exhibited 15% enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Gao
- Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photo-electronic Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P.R. China
| | - Yongheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photo-electronic Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P.R. China
| | - Jianping Ao
- Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photo-electronic Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P.R. China
| | - Jinlian Bi
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Film Electronic and Communication Devices School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Liyong Yao
- Tianjin Institute of Power Source, Tianjin 300384, P. R. China
| | - Jiajia Guo
- Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photo-electronic Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P.R. China
| | - Guozhong Sun
- Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photo-electronic Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P.R. China
| | - Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photo-electronic Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P.R. China
| | - Fangfang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photo-electronic Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P.R. China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photo-electronic Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, P.R. China
| | - Wei Li
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Film Electronic and Communication Devices School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
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Garg V, Sengar BS, Awasthi V, Kumar A, Singh R, Kumar S, Mukherjee C, Atuchin VV, Mukherjee S. Investigation of Dual-Ion Beam Sputter-Instigated Plasmon Generation in TCOs: A Case Study of GZO. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2018; 10:5464-5474. [PMID: 29356500 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b15103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The use of the high free-electron concentration in heavily doped semiconductor enables the realization of plasmons. We report a novel approach to generate plasmons in Ga:ZnO (GZO) thin films in the wide spectral range of ∼1.87-10.04 eV. In the grown GZO thin films, dual-ion beam sputtering (DIBS) instigated plasmon is observed because of the formation of different metallic nanoclusters are reported. Moreover, formation of the nanoclusters and generation of plasmons are verified by field emission scanning electron microscope, electron energy loss spectra obtained by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis. Moreover, the calculation of valence bulk, valence surface, and particle plasmon resonance energies are performed, and indexing of each plasmon peaks with corresponding plasmon energy peak of the different nanoclusters is carried out. Further, the use of DIBS-instigated plasmon-enhanced GZO can be a novel mean to improve the performance of photovoltaic, photodetector, and sensing devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Garg
- Hybrid Nanodevice Research Group (HNRG), Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore , Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Brajendra S Sengar
- Hybrid Nanodevice Research Group (HNRG), Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore , Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Vishnu Awasthi
- Hybrid Nanodevice Research Group (HNRG), Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore , Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Amitesh Kumar
- Hybrid Nanodevice Research Group (HNRG), Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore , Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Rohit Singh
- Hybrid Nanodevice Research Group (HNRG), Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore , Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Shailendra Kumar
- Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology , Indore 452013, India
| | - C Mukherjee
- Advanced Laser and Optics Division, Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology , Indore 452013, India
- Homi Bhabha National Institute , Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai 400094, India
| | - V V Atuchin
- Laboratory of Optical Materials and Structures, Institute of Semiconductor Physics, SB RAS , Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
- Functional Electronics Laboratory, Tomsk State University , Tomsk 634050, Russia
- Laboratory of Single Crystal Growth, South Ural State University , Chelyabinsk 454080, Russia
| | - Shaibal Mukherjee
- Hybrid Nanodevice Research Group (HNRG), Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore , Indore 453552, Madhya Pradesh, India
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Mokurala K, Baranowski LL, de Souza Lucas FW, Siol S, van Hest MFAM, Mallick S, Bhargava P, Zakutayev A. Combinatorial Chemical Bath Deposition of CdS Contacts for Chalcogenide Photovoltaics. ACS Comb Sci 2016; 18:583-9. [PMID: 27479495 DOI: 10.1021/acscombsci.6b00074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Contact layers play an important role in thin film solar cells, but new material development and optimization of its thickness is usually a long and tedious process. A high-throughput experimental approach has been used to accelerate the rate of research in photovoltaic (PV) light absorbers and transparent conductive electrodes, however the combinatorial research on contact layers is less common. Here, we report on the chemical bath deposition (CBD) of CdS thin films by combinatorial dip coating technique and apply these contact layers to Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) and Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) light absorbers in PV devices. Combinatorial thickness steps of CdS thin films were achieved by removal of the substrate from the chemical bath, at regular intervals of time, and in equal distance increments. The trends in the photoconversion efficiency and in the spectral response of the PV devices as a function of thickness of CdS contacts were explained with the help of optical and morphological characterization of the CdS thin films. The maximum PV efficiency achieved for the combinatorial dip-coating CBD was similar to that for the PV devices processed using conventional CBD. The results of this study lead to the conclusion that combinatorial dip-coating can be used to accelerate the optimization of PV device performance of CdS and other candidate contact layers for a wide range of emerging absorbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishnaiah Mokurala
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Lauryn L. Baranowski
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Francisco W. de Souza Lucas
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- Federal University of Sao Carlos, São
Carlos-SP, 13565-905, Brazil
| | - Sebastian Siol
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | | | | | - Parag Bhargava
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Andriy Zakutayev
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
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Bose R, Bera A, Parida MR, Adhikari A, Shaheen BS, Alarousu E, Sun J, Wu T, Bakr OM, Mohammed OF. Real-Space Mapping of Surface Trap States in CIGSe Nanocrystals Using 4D Electron Microscopy. Nano Lett 2016; 16:4417-4423. [PMID: 27228321 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b01553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Surface trap states in copper indium gallium selenide semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs), which serve as undesirable channels for nonradiative carrier recombination, remain a great challenge impeding the development of solar and optoelectronics devices based on these NCs. In order to design efficient passivation techniques to minimize these trap states, a precise knowledge about the charge carrier dynamics on the NCs surface is essential. However, selective mapping of surface traps requires capabilities beyond the reach of conventional laser spectroscopy and static electron microscopy; it can only be accessed by using a one-of-a-kind, second-generation four-dimensional scanning ultrafast electron microscope (4D S-UEM) with subpicosecond temporal and nanometer spatial resolutions. Here, we precisely map the collective surface charge carrier dynamics of copper indium gallium selenide NCs as a function of the surface trap states before and after surface passivation in real space and time using S-UEM. The time-resolved snapshots clearly demonstrate that the density of the trap states is significantly reduced after zinc sulfide (ZnS) shelling. Furthermore, the removal of trap states and elongation of carrier lifetime are confirmed by the increased photocurrent of the self-biased photodetector fabricated using the shelled NCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riya Bose
- Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashok Bera
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Manas R Parida
- Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Aniruddha Adhikari
- Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Basamat S Shaheen
- Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Erkki Alarousu
- Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Jingya Sun
- Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Tom Wu
- Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Osman M Bakr
- Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Omar F Mohammed
- Solar and Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center, Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) , Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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Sardashti K, Haight R, Anderson R, Contreras M, Fruhberger B, Kummel AC. Grazing Incidence Cross-Sectioning of Thin-Film Solar Cells via Cryogenic Focused Ion Beam: A Case Study on CIGSe. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2016; 8:14994-14999. [PMID: 27248803 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b04214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Cryogenic focused ion beam (Cryo-FIB) milling at near-grazing angles is employed to fabricate cross-sections on thin Cu(In,Ga)Se2 with >8x expansion in thickness. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) on sloped cross sections showed reduction in grain boundaries potential deeper into the film. Cryo Fib-KPFM enabled the first determination of the electronic structure of the Mo/CIGSe back contact, where a sub 100 nm thick MoSey assists hole extraction due to 45 meV higher work function. This demonstrates that CryoFIB-KPFM combination can reveal new targets of opportunity for improvement in thin-films photovoltaics such as high-work-function contacts to facilitate hole extraction through the back interface of CIGS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasra Sardashti
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego , La Jolla, California 92093-0358, United States
| | - Richard Haight
- IBM TJ Watson Research Center , Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, United States
| | - Ryan Anderson
- California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, University of California San Diego , La Jolla, California 92093-0436, United States
| | - Miguel Contreras
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory , Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Bernd Fruhberger
- California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, University of California San Diego , La Jolla, California 92093-0436, United States
| | - Andrew C Kummel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego , La Jolla, California 92093-0358, United States
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Daume F, Puttnins S, Scheit C, Zachmann H, Rahm A, Braun A, Grundmann M. Damp Heat Treatment of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells with Different Sodium Content. Materials (Basel) 2013; 6:5478-89. [PMID: 28788403 DOI: 10.3390/ma6125478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Revised: 11/17/2013] [Accepted: 11/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Long term stability is crucial to maturing any photovoltaic technology. We have studied the influence of sodium, which plays a key role in optimizing the performance of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) solar cells, on the long-term stability of flexible CIGSe solar cells on polyimide foil. The standardized procedure of damp heat exposure (85% relative humidity at 85 ∘C) was used to simulate aging of the unencapsulated cells in multiple time steps while they were characterized by current-voltage analysis, capacitance-voltage profiling, as well as electroluminescence imaging. By comparing the aging process to cells that were exposed to heat only, it could be confirmed that moisture plays the key role in the degradation process. We found that cells with higher sodium content suffer from a more pronounced degradation. Furthermore, the experimental results indicate the superposition of an enhancing and a deteriorating mechanism during the aging process. We propose an explanation based on the corrosion of the planar contacts of the solar cell.
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