Understanding deposition temperature dependent photovoltaic characteristics of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells: A study with thermally stable alkali aluminosilicate glass substrates

During 3-stage thermal co-evaporation of Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 (CIGSe), alkali aluminosilicate (AAS) glass has proven to be stable at process temperatures T-max of up to 650 degrees C. This is considerably higher than the maximum endurable T-max for soda-lime glass (SLG), which is in the range of 530-550 degrees C. As the Na-content of the AAS glass used here is comparable to that of SLG, growing CIGSe at elevated T-max is expected to promote Na diffusion from the glass substrate through the Mo back contact (BC) into the absorber layer. An increased Na concentration in the CIGSe absorber would be expected to result in an improved device performance as it is mostly associated with an increased open-circuit voltage (V-oc) and fill factor (FF). This paper discusses the influence of varying T-max from 530 to 650 degrees C during the 2nd and the 3rd stage of the 3-stage process on the morphological, electrical, and photovoltaic performance of CIGSe solar cells. Upon raising T-max from 530 to 650 degrees C, the short-circuit current density (J(sc)) decreased due to bandgap (E-g) widening. Glow discharge optical emission spectrometry analysis reveals that the Na concentration in the absorber is gradually decreased when elevating T-max. As will be seen, we attribute this in part to a densification of the Mo BC during the high temperature process. A maximum conversion efficiency (eta) was realized at T-max = 600 degrees C. An increased V-oc at T-max = 600 degrees C is due to the wider E-g and to an increased carrier concentration despite the fact that the Na concentration in the CIGSe thin film was low compared to lower T-max. Admittance spectroscopy analysis is performed to access information on defect energy level and density in the finished devices. In the light of present findings, ways to further improve eta at elevated T-max are suggested.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of different T-max temperatures on the performance of CIGSe solar cells, showing that higher T-max levels can promote Na diffusion but decrease short-circuit current density. As T-max increases, the Na concentration in the absorber layer gradually decreases, but the highest conversion efficiency is achieved at T-max = 600 degrees C.