Wide-Gap Chalcopyrite Solar Cells with Indium Oxide-Based Transparent Back Contacts

Herein, the performance of wide-gap Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 (CIGS) and (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se-2 (ACIGS) solar cells with In2O3:Sn (ITO) and In2O3:H (IOH) as transparent back contact (TBC) materials is evaluated. Since both TBCs restrict sodium in-diffusion from the glass substrate, fine-tuning of a NaF precursor layer is crucial. It is found that the optimum Na supply is lower for ACIGS than for CIGS samples. An excessive sodium amount deteriorates the solar cell performance, presumably by facilitating GaOx growth at the TBC/absorber interface. The efficiency (eta) further depends on the absorber stoichiometry, with highest fill factors (and eta) reached for close-stoichiometric compositions. An ACIGS solar cell with eta = 12% at a bandgap of 1.44 eV is processed, using IOH as a TBC. The best CIGS device reaches eta = 11.2% on ITO. Due to its very high infrared transparency, IOH is judged superior to ITO for implementation in a top cell of a tandem device. However, while ITO layers maintain their conductivity, IOH films show an increased sheet resistance after absorber deposition. Chemical investigations indicate that incorporation of Se during the initial stage of absorber processing may be responsible for the deteriorated conductivity of the IOH back contact in the final device.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the performance of CIGS and ACIGS solar cells using In2O3:Sn and In2O3:H as transparent back contact materials, highlighting the importance of optimizing the NaF precursor layer and the dependence of efficiency on absorber stoichiometry.