CIGSS Thin Film Solar Cells: Final Subcontract Report, 10 October 2001-30 June 2005
This report describes the I-III-VI2 compounds that are developing into a promising material to meet the energy requirement of the world. CuInSe2 (CIS) and its alloy with Ga and S have shown long-term stability and highest conversion efficiency of 19.5%. Among the various ways of preparing CuIn1-xGaxSe2-ySy (CIGSS)/CdS thin-film solar cells, co-evaporation and sputtering techniques are the most promising. Sputtering is an established process for very high-throughput manufacturing. ARCO Solar, now Shell Solar, pioneered the work in CIS using the sputtering technique. The two-stage process developed by ARCO Solar involved sputtering of a copper and indium layer on molybdenum-coated glass as the first step. In the second step, the copper-indium layers were exposed to a selenium-bearing gas such as hydrogen selenide (H2Se) mixed with argon. The hydrogen selenide breaks down and leaves selenium, which reacts and mixes with the copper and indium in such a way to produce very high-quality CIS absorber layer. Sputtering technology has the added advantage of being easily scaled up and promotes roll-to-roll production on flexible substrates. Preliminary experiments were carried out. ZnO/ZnO:Al deposition by RF magnetron sputtering and CdS deposition by chemical-bath deposition are being carried out on a routine basis.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-99-GO10337
- OSTI ID:
- 876707
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/SR-520-39486; NDJ-2-30630-03; TRN: US200606%%610
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: Work performed by Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), Cocoa, Florida
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALLOYS
ARGON
COPPER
DEPOSITION
EFFICIENCY
INDIUM
MAGNETRONS
MANUFACTURING
SELENIUM
SELENIUM HYDRIDES
SOLAR CELLS
SPUTTERING
STABILITY
SUBSTRATES
THIN FILMS
PV
THIN FILM
CUINSE2 (CIS)
CUIN1-XGAXSE2-YSY (CIGSS)
CO-EVAPORATION
CHEMICAL BATH DEPOSITION (CBD)
Solar Energy - Photovoltaics