Materials analysis and device optimization of CuInSe sub 2 solar cells

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6659429

Baron, B N; Birkmire, R W; McCandless, B E; Roy, M; Phillips, J E; Shafarman, W N ^[1]

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1. Delaware Univ., Newark, DE (USA). Inst. of Energy Conversion

This report presents results and conclusions from the two-year research program on CuInSe{sub 2} thin-film solar cells. The research was carried out in two integrated tasks: materials preparation and analysis, and high-efficiency solar cell fabrication and analysis. CuInSe{sub 2} thin-films were prepared by vacuum evaporation of elemental Cu, In, and Se onto heated substrates. We present systematic studies of the effects of incident flux and substrate temperature on CuInSe{sub 2} film composition and morphology. We prepared mirror smooth CuInSe{sub 2} films using a newly developed aqueous bromine solution as a chemical polishing etch, and we fabricated and analyzed heterojunction photovoltaic devices with (CdZn)S, ITO/ (CdZn)S, ZnO, and ZnO/(CdZn) window layer. We found the dominant recombination mechanism in high-efficiency CuInSe{sub 2} devices to be space-charge recombination in the CuInSe{sub 2}. We fabricated optimized one-square-centimeter CuInSe{sub 2}/(CdZn)S solar cells with efficiencies over 10%. 23 refs., 22 figs., 11 tabs.

• Research Organization: Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA); Delaware Univ., Newark, DE (USA). Inst. of Energy Conversion
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/CE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 6659429
• Report Number(s): SERI/TP-211-3896; ON: DE90000365
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360601 -- Other Materials-- Preparation & Manufacture
360603 -- Materials-- Properties
CADMIUM COMPLEXES
CALIBRATION
COMPLEXES
COPPER SELENIDE SOLAR CELLS
DEFECTS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
DOCUMENT TYPES
DOPED MATERIALS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
EQUIPMENT
ETCHING
EVAPORATION
FILMS
FLUID FLOW
FUNCTIONS
GAS FLOW
HEAT TREATMENTS
HETEROJUNCTIONS
INDIUM SELENIDE SOLAR CELLS
JUNCTIONS
KNUDSEN FLOW
LAYERS
MATERIALS
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURING METHODS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
OPTIMIZATION
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROCESSING
PROGRESS REPORT
QUANTUM EFFICIENCY
RESPONSE FUNCTIONS
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SENSITIVITY
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SUBSTRATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE FINISHING
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TESTING
THIN FILMS
VACUUM EVAPORATION
ZINC COMPLEXES