The reversal of the laser-beam-induced-current contrast with varying illumination density in a Cu{sub 2}ZnSnSe{sub 4} thin-film solar cell
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223 (United States)
We apply an array of correlated spatially-resolved techniques, including μ-Raman/photoluminescence/reflectance/laser-beam-induced-current in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, to study the impact of the microscopic-scale thickness inhomogeneity of CdS layer in a Cu{sub 2}ZnSnSe{sub 4} thin-film solar cell. Thicker CdS regions are found to cause more light reflecting loss thus yield lower external quantum efficiencies and energy conversion efficiencies than the general area. However, these regions show much less efficiency degradation at high illumination intensity, leading to an inversion of laser-beam-induced-current contrast in the area mapping. While improving the CdS layer uniformity can boost the device performance, the finding further points out the possibility of operating thin-film photovoltaic devices based on the similar materials (such as CuInGaSe{sub 2}, CdTe, Cu{sub 2}ZnSn(S,Se){sub 4}) under a substantially higher illumination density for concentrated photovoltaic and photo-detection.
- OSTI ID:
- 22253833
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 24; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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