Quality assessment of CuInS2-based solar cells by Raman scattering

In this work spectroscopic features of the Raman A(1) mode of CuInS2 thin films are investigated. A broadening of the A(1) mode in combination with an asymmetry towards larger wave numbers is observed. The comparison with parameters of the solar cells formed out of these thin films reveal a direct correlation between the linewidth of the A(1) mode and the solar cell data. A significant decrease of open circuit voltage and fill factor of the cells is found for linewidths larger than 3.8 cm(-1). For linewidths smaller than 3.8 cm(-1), a saturated behavior of the solar cell parameters is observed. This saturation indicates other origins of performance limitation to be present in CuInS2 based devices. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.