A new approach to high-efficiency solar cells by band gap grading in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 chalcopyrite semiconductors

High efficiencies in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)(2) solar cells result from alloying CuInSe2 base material with the corresponding Ga- or S-containing compound. Compositional grading is one important issue in these devices. To obtain high efficiencies a reconstructed Cu-depleted absorber surface is essential. We consider this Cu/In grading non-intentional, process related and present a model which explains its importance. Another approach to improve performance is controlled intentional band gap grading via Ga/In and S/Se grading during the deposition. We show that appropriate grading can improve current and voltage of the device simultaneously. The key objective is to design a larger band gap for recombination and a lower band gap for absorption to energetically separate the mechanisms of carrier recombination and current generation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.