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Chemical and Electronic Structure at the Interface between a Sputter-Deposited Zn(O,S) Buffer and a Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 Solar Cell Absorber

Journal Article · · Solar RRL
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [1];  [1]
  1. Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT) (Germany); Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
  2. Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States)
  3. Karlsruhe Inst. of Technology (KIT) (Germany)
  4. AVANCIS GmbH, Munich (Germany)
  5. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Advanced Light Source (ALS)
+ Show Author Affiliations
The chemical and electronic structure of the interface between a sputter-deposited Zn(O,S) buffer layer and an industrial Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGSSe) absorber for thin-film solar cells is investigated with X-ray and UV photoelectron spectroscopy, inverse photoemission spectroscopy, and X-ray emission spectroscopy. We find a CIGSSe absorber surface band gap of 1.61 (±0.14) eV, which is significantly increased as compared to the minimal value derived with bulk-sensitive methods (≈1.1 eV). We find no indication for diffusion of absorber elements into the buffer layer. Surface- and bulk-sensitive measurements of the buffer layer suggest the presence of S-Zn and S-O bonds in the Zn(O,S) layer. We find that the naturally existing downward band bending toward the CIGSSe absorber surface is increased by the formation of the interface, likely enhancing carrier separation under illumination. We also derive a flat conduction band alignment, in line with the reported high conversion efficiencies of corresponding large-area solar cells.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Advanced Light Source (ALS)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
2234105
Journal Information:
Solar RRL, Journal Name: Solar RRL Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 7; ISSN 2367-198X
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Cu(In
Ga)(S
Se)2
Zn(O
S)
chemical structures
electronic structures
interfacial band alignment