Polycrystalline Copper-zinc-tin-sulfide/selenide (CZTS,Se) compounds have received wide research interest due to their potential as inexpensive absorber materials composed of earth-abundant elements. Photovoltaic devices fabricated on CZTS,Se have reached conversion efficiencies of 12.6 %. One of the key parameters to further boost the conversion efficiency is to control the concentration of recombination sites at the surface, secondary phase interfaces and in the grain boundaries. To determine the presence of secondary phases on the surface and composition of grain boundaries, this work has employed Auger nanoprobe electron spectroscopy (NanoAuger) with 8nm lateral resolution combined with high resolution ambient Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) with dual-lock-in setup. NanoAuger was performed in planar and cross-sectional modes on CZTS,Se surfaces before and after top surface oxide removal by NH₄OH clean. Elemental maps before and after NH₄OH clean show Sn-/O-rich and Cu-poor grain boundaries suggesting that grain boundaries are terminated by tin-oxide (SnOx). Secondary phases such as SnSe and ZnSe were observed in the cross-sectional maps. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) on the cleaned surfaces showed that SnOx-terminated grain boundaries have 80-200 mV larger work function than grains, resulting in upward band bending between grains and grain boundaries. The upward band bending accompanied by the large valence band offset between the SnOx and CZTS,Se lead to relatively large energy barriers for both electrons and holes to travel into the grain boundaries and recombine. Comparison with the elemental maps for CIGSe (with device efficiencies as high as 18%) revealed the absence of the grain boundary oxide passivation.

Photovoltaic’s contribution to energy production continues to grow as costs continue to decrease. As silicon cells approach their limits, other materials are emerging. The development of Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) thin film solar cells using non-vacuum liquid-based spin coating techniques have been previously investigated. The focus of this paper is the optimization of p-type CZTS thin film solar cells onto flexible substrates. Flexible solar panel costs are higher than their traditional counterparts. CZTS currently reports only a 3.2% efficiency on flexible glass, while the record for CZTS on non-flexible substrates is 12.6%. The cells are created using a single solution ink sol–gel method. All metals are dissolved in a single step prior to deposition onto substrates (nickel foil and corning willow glass) as a thin film. Corning Willow glass is a new material introduced recently to the market, while nickel is a inexpensive flexible reflective foil. The Corning Willow glass is coated with a molybdenum layer as a reflective back contact layer. By using a single step and a solution deposition method, lower production cost are achievable. For thin film deposition, we used a non-vacuum spin coater (WS650 spin processor, Laurell Technologies) with an optimized spin coat programming. Annealing took place under vacuum in a RTP furnace while time, temperature and ramp functions were varied. The other layers of the device consists of cadmium sulfide n-type window layer and a zinc oxide doped with aluminum transparent top contact layer. Characterization and analysis of the thin films were performed using Raman spectroscopy, scanning election microscope (Zeiss NEON 40), X-ray diffraction (Philipps X’Pert), proflimeter (Veeco Dektak 150), UV-Vis-NIR Spectrophotometer (Carry 5000), Hall Effect measurement system (HMS3000) and 4 point probe (Lucas Labs) measurements. Results show CZTS thin film solar cells on flexible glass is obtainable.

Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS)-based solar cells was investigated with an aim of enhancing cell performance because these cells provided high conversion efficiency at relatively low cost. The efficiency of CIGS cells has recently approached 19.7% at small sizes. In general, Cu(In_1-x,Ga_x)(Se_1-yS_y)₂(CIGSS) composition profiles are double-graded, and they can improve the open-circuit voltage (V_OC) and the efficiency of solar cells because band gaps increase toward both the surface (i.e., with the increase of sulfur) and the bottom (i.e., with the increase of gallium). It is important to accurately measure the band gap at the top and the bottom of the CIGSS cell. Nevertheless, the band gap profile measurement of the CIGSS as a function of depth is challenging.

In this study, we obtained the depth profile of the CIGSS cell using the quantitative Auger Electron Spectroscopy method, for which the relative sensitivity factor was corrected using the inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) method. We also measured the band gap directly using high-resolution reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (HR-REELS) with a monochromatic electron gun, which has low electron energy at 300 eV.

For the direct measurement of a band gap profile, HR-REELS spectra were obtained as a function of depth during Ar ion sputtering at 3.0 kV. The band gap profile shows a double-graded band gap as a function of depth. The band gap values are 1.32 eV at the surface (E_g1), 1.08 eV at the depth between 0.3 and 0.7μm (E_{g min.position}), and 1.50 eV at the depth of about 2.2 μm (E_g2), respectively. Our findings suggest a new analytical method which directly determines the band gap profile as function of depth.

​

Copper Indium Gallium di-Selenide (CIGS) solar cells are a promising approach in photovoltaic technology, having low production costs, high conversion efficiencies (> 20 %), as well as the possibility to manufacture them on flexible substrates. State-of-the-art in CIGS solar cells manufacturing is to use a stack of CdS, intrinsic ZnO (i-ZnO) and an Al-doped ZnO TCO on top of the CIGS film. Replacement of CdS by a non-toxic Cd-free layer with wider band gap (> 2.4 eV) would a) decrease the production cost by avoiding the expensive treatment of toxic wastes and b) increase the overall cell efficiency by enhancing the quantum efficiency in the blue range. Moreover, the use of a “soft” and highly conformal deposition technique is preferred to improve the electrical properties of the buffer layer/CIGS interface.

Performance in a variety of electronic devices is largely controalled by minority carrier charge capture on point defects. To date there is no experimental method to directly identify these point defects in a chemically specific fashion. Photo-modulated X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) utilizes the chemical and charge sensitivity of XPS to identify changes in peak shape due to changing atomic charge state from capture of light-generated minority carriers. Epitaxial thin films of CuInSe₂ (CIS) were chosen as a case study for this technique because their defect chemistry is still relatively unknown as compared to traditional solar cell materials. The 500-1000nm thick films were grown by a hybrid sputtering and evaporation technique on GaAs(001) substrates at600-700°C. Aligned surface morphology features matching the substrate geometry in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicate epitaxial growth, which was confirmed by x-ray diffraction (XRD).A layer of CdS was deposited on the CIS via chemical bath deposition to protect the CIS surface from oxidation in storage and to duplicate the heterojunction used in solar cells. Prior to loading in the XPS, the CdS was etched off to expose a Cd doped CIS surface for analysis. The photo-modulated XPS used monochromatic AlKα x-rays with a 532 nm laser as the illumination source. Under illumination, each film constituent was observed to exhibit unique binding energy shifts. Based on their peak shifts relative to the surface photovoltage profile, Cd and In were found to be right at the surface while Cu and Se were deeper into the film, consistent with a Cd-doped, In-rich surface. The technique is therefore shown to provide a chemically-sensitive depth profile non-destructively that can be obtained even on a relatively rough sample. Additionally, shape changes in the Se 3d doublet spectra indicate electron capture in a deep trap state that is likely due to cation vacancies. Measurements at varying temperatures indicate air-induced surface recombination states are passivated by annealing at 80C, allowing the surface photovoltage to persist. At 230C, an irreversible change happens in the surface properties such that the surface photovoltage gets much smaller and reverses sign. This work was supported by a joint NSF-TUBITAK collaborative research project (NSF Grant No: 1312539 TUBITAK Grant No: 212M051).

Light reflection from the glass surface of a photovoltaic (PV) module is a significant source of energy loss for crystalline silicon and all types of thin film PV devices. The reflection at the glass and air interface accounts for ~4% of the total energy. Single layer anti-reflection coatings using magnesium fluoride or porous silica with sufficiently low refractive index have been reported but these are only effective over a narrow range of wavelengths. In this paper we report on the design, deposition and testing of multilayer broadband anti-reflection coatings that reduce the weighted average reflection over the wavelength range used by thin film CdTe devices to ~1.22% resulting in a useful 3.6% increase in photocurrent. In this study we have used multilayer stacks consisting of silica and zirconia layers deposited using a reactive magnetron sputtering process. Details of the stack design, sputtering process parameters and the optical and micro-structural properties of the layers are provided.