Download or read book Low cost Cu In Ga Se2 Absorbers from Nanosized Precursor Materials for Thin film Solar Cells written by Marc-Roland Kaelin and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Development of Non vacuum and Low cost Techniques for Cu In Ga Se S 2 Thin Film Solar Cell Processing written by Christopher J. Hibberd and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solar photovoltaic modules provide clean electricity from sunlight but will not be able tocompete on an open market until the cost of the electricity they produce is comparable to thatproduced by traditional methods. At present, modules based on crystalline silicon wafer solarcells account for nearly 90% of photovoltaic production capacity. However, it is anticipatedthat the ultimate cost reduction achievable for crystalline silicon solar cell production will besomewhat limited and that thin film solar cells may offer a cheaper alternative in the longterm. The highest energy conversion efficiencies reported for thin film solar cells have beenfor devices based around chalcopyrite Cu(In, Ga)(Se, S)2 photovoltaic absorbers. The most efficient Cu(In, Ga)(Se, S)2 solar cells contain absorber layers deposited by vacuumco-evaporation of the elements. However, the cost of ownership of large area vacuumevaporation technology is high and may be a limiting factor in the cost reductions achievablefor Cu(In, Ga)(Se, S)2 based solar cells. Therefore, many alternative deposition methods areunder investigation. Despite almost thirty companies being in the process of commercialisingthese technologies there is no consensus as to which deposition method will lead to the mostcost effective product. Non-vacuum deposition techniques involving powders and chemical solutions potentiallyoffer significant reductions in the cost of Cu(In, Ga)(Se, S)2 absorber layer deposition ascompared to their vacuum counterparts. A wide range of such approaches has beeninvestigated for thirty years and the gap between the world record Cu(In, Ga)(Se, S)2 solarcell and the best devices containing non-vacuum deposited absorber layers has closedsignificantly in recent years. Nevertheless, no one technique has demonstrated its superiorityand the best results are still achieved with some of the most complex approaches. The work presented here involved the development and investigation of a new process forperforming one of the stages of non-vacuum deposition of Cu(In, Ga)(Se, S)2 absorber layers. The new process incorporates copper into an initial Group III-VI precursor layer, e.g. indiumgallium selenide, through an ion exchange reaction performed in solution. The ion exchangereaction requires only very simple, low-cost equipment and proceeds at temperatures over1000?C lower than required for the evaporation of Cu under vacuum. In the new process, indium (gallium) selenide initial precursor layers are immersed insolutions containing Cu ions. During immersion an exchange reaction occurs and Cu ionsfrom the solution exchange places with Group III ions in the layer. This leads to theformation of an intimately bonded, laterally homogeneous copper selenide? indium (gallium)selenide modified precursor layer with the same morphology as the initial precursor. These modified precursor layers were converted to single phase chalcopyrite CuInSe2 andCu(In, Ga)Se2 by annealing with Se in a tube furnace system. Investigation of the annealingtreatment revealed that a series of phase transformations, beginning at low temperature, leadto chalcopyrite formation. Control of the timing of the Se supply was demonstrated toprevent reactions that were deemed detrimental to the morphology of the resultingchalcopyrite layers. When vacuum evaporated indium (gallium) selenide layers were used asinitial precursors, solar cells produced from the absorber layers exhibited energy conversionefficiencies of up to 4%. While these results are considered promising, the devices werecharacterised by very low open circuit voltages and parallel resistances. Rapid thermal processing was applied to the modified precursor layers in an attempt tofurther improve their conversion into chalcopyrite material. Despite only a small number ofsolar cells being fabricated using rapid thermal processing, improvements in open circuitvoltage of close to 150mV were achieved. However, due to increases in series resistance andreductions in current collection only small increases in solar cell efficiency were recorded. Rapid thermal processing was also used to demonstrate synthesis of single phase CuInS2from modified precursor layers based on non-vacuum deposited indium sulphide. Non-vacuum deposition methods provide many opportunities for the incorporation ofundesirable impurities into the deposited layers. Analysis of the precursor layers developedduring this work revealed that alkali atoms from the complexant used in the ion exchangebaths are incorporated into the precursor layers alongside the Cu. Alkali atoms exhibitpronounced electronic and structural effects on Cu(In, Ga)Se2 layers and are beneficial in lowconcentrations. However, excess alkali atoms are detrimental to Cu(In, Ga)Se2 solar cellperformance and the problems encountered with cells produced here are consistent with theeffects reported in the literature for excess alkali incorporation. It is therefore expected thatfurther improvements in solar cell efficiency might be achieved following reformulation ofthe ion exchange bath chemistry.

Download or read book Development of Cu In Ga Se2 Solar Cell on Stainless Steel Substrate written by Chantana Jakapan and published by LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. This book was released on 2015-07-03 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Electricity power is normally generated by burning fossil fuels, having detrimental impacts on the environment and will be depleted. One of the most appropriate ways to solve the foreseeable world's energy crisis is to utilize the power of the sun. Solar cells, using photovoltaic effect, are of wide interest as they can convert solar energy to electricity. Chalcopyrite based thin-film solar cell is considered as the low-cost and high-efficiency solar cells. One of the most important chalcopyrite compounds for photovoltaic application is Cu(In, Ga)Se2. Fabricating the solar cells on flexible substrates is intriguing, as it can be applied to the roll-to-roll process with the ability to reduce production cost of the solar cells. Consequently, the purpose of the book is to provide the overview for accomplishing the good physical properties and suitable double [Ga]/([Ga]+[In])-grading profiles of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 absorbers on flexible stainless steel substrates for the thin-film solar cells with high conversion efficiency (>15%

Download or read book Alternative Buffer Layer Development in Cu In Ga Se2 Thin Film Solar Cells written by Peipei Xin and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based thin film solar cells are considered to be one of the most promising photovoltaic technologies. Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar devices have the potential advantage of low-cost, fast fabrication by using semiconductor layers of only a few micrometers thick and high efficiency photovoltaics have been reported at both the cell and the module levels. CdS via chemical bath deposition (CBD) has been the most widely used buffer option to form the critical junction in CIGS-based thin film photovoltaic devices. However, the disadvantages of CdS can’t be ignored - regulations on cadmium usage are getting stricter primarily due to its toxicity and environmental impacts, and the proper handling of the large amount of toxic chemical bath waste is a massive and expensive task. ☐ This dissertation is devoted to the development of Cd-free alternative buffer layers in CIGS-based thin film solar cells. Based on the considerations of buffer layer selection criteria and extensive literature review, Zn-compound buffer materials are chosen as the primary investigation candidates. Radio frequency magnetron sputtering is the preferred buffer deposition approach since it’s a clean and more controllable technique compared to CBD, and is readily scaled to large area manufacturing. ☐ First, a comprehensive study of the ZnSe1-xOx compound prepared by reactive sputtering was completed. As the oxygen content in the reactive sputtering gas increased, ZnSe1-xOx crystallinity and bandgap decreased. It’s observed that oxygen miscibility in ZnSe was low and a secondary phase formed when the O2 / (O2 + Ar) ratio in the sputtering gas exceeded 2%. Two approaches were proposed to optimize the band alignment between the CIGS and buffer layer. One method focused on the bandgap engineering of the absorber, the other focused on the band structure modification of the buffer. As a result, improved current of the solar cell was achieved although a carrier transport barrier at the junction interface still limited the device performance. ☐ Second, an investigation of Zn(S,O) buffer layers was completed. Zn(S,O) films were sputtered in Ar using a ZnO0.7S0.3 compound target. Zn(S,O) films had the composition close to the target with S / (S+O) ratio around 0.3. Zn(S,O) films showed the wurtzite structure with the bandgap about 3.2eV. The champion Cu(In,Ga)Se2 / Zn(S,O) cell had 12.5% efficiency and an (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 / Zn(S,O) cell achieved 13.2% efficiency. Detailed device analysis was used to study the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 absorbers, the influence of absorber surface treatments, the effects of device treatments, the sputtering damage and the Na concentration in the absorber. ☐ Finally alternative buffer layer development was applied to an innovative superstrate CIGS configuration. The superstrate structure has potential benefits of improved window layer properties, cost reduction, and the possibility to implement back reflector engineering techniques. The application of three buffer layer options – CdS, ZnO and ZnSe was studied and limitations of each were characterized. The best device achieved 8.6% efficiency with a ZnO buffer. GaxOy formation at the junction interface was the main limiting factor of this device performance. For CdS / CIGS and ZnSe / CIGS superstrate devices extensive inter-diffusion between the absorber and buffer layer under CIGS growth conditions was the critical problem. Inter-diffusion severely deteriorated the junction quality and led to poorly behaved devices, despite different efforts to optimize the fabrication process.

Download or read book Solution Processing for Copper Indium Sulfide Solar Cells written by Stephen Thacker Connor and published by Stanford University. This book was released on 2011 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, the field of photovoltaics has become increasingly important due to rising energy demand and climate change. While most solar cells are currently composed of crystalline silicon, devices with thinner films of inorganic absorber materials might allow production at a greater scale due to their lower materials cost. In particular, thin films of CuInS2 are promising solar absorber materials due to their high efficiencies and low required thicknesses. However, the fabrication of thin film solar cells currently requires expensive vacuum techniques. As an alternative, solution-based deposition techniques have been proposed as a route to low-cost and high-throughput electronic device fabrication. I have studied how film growth depends on solutuion deposited precursor film quality, with the goal of producing large grained films of CuInS2 through solution processing. In the first approach, we used solvothermal decomposition of organometallic precursors at moderate temperatures to produce nanoparticles of CuInS2. Thin films of these nanoparticles were cast onto molybdenum coated glass and further processed to create CuInS2 solar cells. We found that performance was dependent on film porosity, grain size, and stoichiometry of the nanoparticles. Films with grain sizes of ~200nm were attained, from which 1.3% efficient solar cells were made. In addition, we showed that this synthesis could be extended to produce CuInS2 nanoparticles with partial substitution of Fe, Zn, and Ga. In the second approach, we synthesized an air-stable hybrid organometallic/nanoparticle ink at room temperature in ambient conditions through a vulcanization reaction. This ink could be coated onto substrates in smooth layers, and further reactive annealing formed large grained CuInS2 films. This process was characterized, and a correlation between residual carbon and grain growth was found. Additionally, the chemical transformation between precursor layers and final sulfide thin film was analyzed, with an emphasis on the difference between sulfurization and selenization. We demonstrated that the sulfurization process was producing morphological defects due to its nucleation limited growth mechanism. However, it was modified to more closely resemble the diffusion limited selenization mechanism, thus producing flat films of CuInS2 with grain sizes of ~500nm.

Download or read book In Situ Investigation of the Rapid Thermal Reaction of Cu In Ga Precursors to Cu In Ga Se2 Thin film Solar Cell Absorbers written by Jan-Peter Bäcker and published by . This book was released on 2018* with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Growing Cu In Ga Se2 Thin Film Solar Cells with High Efficiency and Low Production Costs written by Shihang Yang and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two major approaches are performed to improve solar cell performances. Light trapping by etching AZO top contact for creating pyramid-structures to enhance light scattering. Efficiency is increased by more than 1.5% for solar cells with etched AZO surfaces. Solar cells with efficiency larger than 13% can be grown by using AZO etching. Another approach is by using suitable Ga content in absorber layer. Solar cells with efficiency as high as 14.17% are grown which makes thinner CIGS solar cells very competitive.

Download or read book Non vacuum Deposition of Cu In Ga Se2 Absorber Layers for Thin Film Solar Cells written by Alexander Roland Uhl and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Optimisation of Cu In Ga Se 1tn2 Thin Film Solar Cells and Modules for Low Irradiance Conditions written by Alessandro Virtuani and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book New Deposition Process of Cu In Ga Se2 Thin Films for Solar Cell Applications written by Himal Khatri and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Molybdenum (Mo) is currently the most common material used for Cu(In, Ga)Se2 solar cell back contacts. The first objective of this study is to utilize in-situ and ex-situ characterization techniques to investigate the growth, as well as the physical and chemical properties, of Mo thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering onto soda-lime glass (SLG) substrates. The effects of the deposition pressure on the nucleation and growth mechanisms that ultimately influence morphology and grain structure have been studied. Correspondence between real time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and four-point probe resistivity measurements indicate that increasing deposition pressure leads to smaller average grain sizes and higher oxygen content in the Mo thin films. Changes of the material properties were also evaluated by changing RF power. It is observed that higher RF power, results in higher conductivity films. The second and overall objective of this work is to focus on the deposition and characterization of the Cu(In, Ga)Se2 absorber layer using the hybrid co-sputtering and evaporation process, which has potential for commercial PV. Solar cells were completed with a range of elemental compositions in the absorber layer, keeping a constant profile of Ga and varying Cu concentrations. The slightly Cu deficient Cu(In, Ga)Se2 films of band gap ~1.15 eV fabricated by this process consist of a single chalcopyrite phase and device efficiencies up to 12.4% were achieved for the composition ratios (x, y) = (0.30, 0.88). Correspondence between energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction, transmission and reflection (T & R), four-point probe resistivity, and current density-voltage (J-V) measurements indicate that increased Cu concentration leads to the incorporation of a secondary phase Cu2-xSe compound in the Cu(In, Ga)Se2 films, which is detrimental to cell performance. The third objective of this work is to evaluate the Cu2-xSe material properties by employing in-situ RTSE, as well as ex-situ SE and various other characterization techniques. SE revealed that the dielectric function spectra of Cu2-xSe evolve with temperature, providing insights into the evolution of transport properties and critical point structures. At room temperature, semi-metallic behavior of Cu2-xSe thin films was revealed by SE and Hall Effect measurements. These characteristics serve as key inputs for optical modeling of complex layer structures of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 films grown by 2- and 3-step processes.

Download or read book Nanoscale investigation of potential distribution in operating Cu In Ga Se2 thin film solar cells written by Zhenhao Zhang and published by KIT Scientific Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-16 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The distribution of the electrostatic potential in and between the materials in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cells has a major impact on their superior performance. This thesis reported on the nanoscale imaging of the electrostatic potential on untreated cross sections of operating Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells using Kelvin probe force microscopy.

Download or read book Enhancement of Cu In Ga Se2 Solar Cells and Materials Via the Incorporation of Silver written by Scott A. Little and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) technology has proven itself to be a worthy solar cell technology, research efforts have redoubled to explore ways to enrich the already mature technology or create spin-offs of the technology with specific goals for manufacturing in mind. CIGS technology is now at an efficiency and production level that is competitive with other second generation solar cell devices and c-Si. Further research in CIGS allows for a toolbox of new ideas to try in the technology. This work aims at that goal by generating and presenting many ideas on how that may be possible. Primarily, this work contains information concerning the improvement of the manufacturing process using a hybrid sputter deposition chamber for scaling up and allowing for easy in situ monitoring using ellipsometry. It also explores the possibility of the addition of Ag to enhance and control device behavior and properties, and investigates the concept of a two-stage process with a co-sputtering deposition chamber. Monitoring of Ag in situ and in real time was explored to possibly improve the back contact of solar cells that use Ag as a back contact (not necessarily CIGS) and as a potential precursor for nanocrystals.time was explored to possibly improve the back contact of solar cells that use Ag as a back contact (not necessarily CIGS) and as a potential precursor for nanocrystals.

Download or read book Enhancement of the Deposition Processes of Cu In Ga Se2 and Cds Thin Films Via In situ and Ex situ Measurements for Solar Cell Application written by Vikash Ranjan and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thin films of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 deposited by 1-stage, 2-stage and 3-stage co-evaporation processes result into the highest efficiency solar cells. Controlling the rate and sequences of individual sources during these co-evaporation processes are important for better quality Cu(In, Ga)Se2 absorber layers. At the same time, spectroscopic ellipsometry due to its ex-situ as well as in-situ application is considered as a very powerful tool to understand the material properties as well as to monitor the process. Nevertheless, spectroscopic ellipsometry was not properly utilized until now to characterize Cu(In, Ga)Se2 thin films. In this study, one of our goal is to understand the optical and electrical properties of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 as a function of process and composition. In the first part of this study, we implemented ex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) along with other characterization techniques like Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), x-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) etc. to compare Cu(In, Ga)Se2 thin films deposited by the above mentioned three co-evaporation processes. During this study, we were able to use SE to find the thickness, roughness, band gap, Ga grading of the Cu(In, Ga)Se2 deposited by 2-stage and 3-stage process. Finding of SE were correlated by SIMS, AES, SEM etc. In the case of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 deposited by 1-stage process, due to the high surface roughness, we are not able to implement the ex-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry. In the second and third part of this study, real time spectroscopic ellipsometry is implemented to study the material properties of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 thin films as a function of Cu and Ga concentration. Effectively, in a 3-stage co-evaporation process, the composition of the film changes during the process. To monitor and control the composition of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 during the 3-stage process by in-situ ellipsometry, it was necessary to understand the optical properties of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 as a function of Cu atomic percentage (at.%) as well as Ga at.%. Along with this, the inability to implement ex-situ SE for Cu(In, Ga)Se2 thin film motivated us to implement the spectroscopic ellipsometry in real time i.e. during the growth of the film. This in-situ real time application of SE helped us in understanding the micostructural evolution and dependence of the band gap with the Cu atomic percentage (at.%) as well as the Ga at.%. We also used this opportunity to understand the shift in the critical points as a function of temperature for CuInSe2 alloys. Characterization like AES, XRD, AFM etc were performed after the growth at room temperature to corroborate the RTSE findings. In the fourth and last part of this study, the growth of CdS on a Cu(In, Ga)Se2 surface as a function of time was studied using SE as well as AFM. We also used this opportunity to compare the growth of CdS on another substrate (SiO2). Spectroscopic ellipsometry and AFM revealed a quantum confinement effect in the case of CdS on SiO2 whereas no such effect was observed for CdS on Cu(In, Ga)Se2 surface due to the growth of compact CdS layers.

Download or read book Air light Exposure of Cu In Ga Se2 Thin Film Absorber Layers and the Effects on Complete Solar Cells written by Torsten Hölscher and published by . This book was released on 2022* with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis deals with the modification of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 surface, caused by illumination in ambient air. After the specifically exposure of the bare CIGSe surface to air and light (air-light exposure = ALE), the absorber layers have been investigated with time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Solar cells with ALE absorbers have been diagnosed to be limited by recombination at the Absorber/Buffer interface, using voltage dependent admittance spectroscopy and measuring the open circuit voltage as a function of temperature VOC(T) as well as a function of time VOC(t).

Download or read book Effect of Heat Treatments and Reduced Absorber Layer Thickness on Cu in Ga se2 Thin Film Solar Cells written by Vinodh Chandrasekaran and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The thickness of the Molybdenum back contact layer was increased to see if the amount of Sodium from the substrate had any effect on the device performance. The Ga/In ratio was altered and its effect was also studied. The 0.65um thick devices showed a large reduction in Voc̕s and Jsc̕s. The effect of Selenization time and Selenium flux during Selenization were studied at each of the different thicknesses.

Download or read book Process Development and Optimisation for Efficient and Cost effective Cu In Ga Se2 Thin Film Solar Cells written by Zhengfei Wei and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Development of Cu In Ga Se2 Superstrate Thin Film Solar Cells written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: