Surface and Interface Properties in Thin‐Film Solar Cells: Using Soft X‐rays and Electrons to Unravel the Electronic and Chemical Structure
Abstract
Abstract Thin‐film solar cells have great potential to overtake the currently dominant silicon‐based solar cell technologies in a strongly growing market. Such thin‐film devices consist of a multilayer structure, for which charge‐carrier transport across interfaces plays a crucial role in minimizing the associated recombination losses and achieving high solar conversion efficiencies. Further development can strongly profit from a high‐level characterization that gives a local, electronic, and chemical picture of the interface properties, which allows for an insight‐driven optimization. Herein, the authors' recent progress of applying a “toolbox” of high‐level laboratory‐ and synchrotron‐based electron and soft X‐ray spectroscopies to characterize the chemical and electronic properties of such applied interfaces is provided. With this toolbox in hand, the activities are paired with those of experts in thin‐film solar cell preparation at the cutting edge of current developments to obtain a deeper understanding of the recent improvements in the field, e.g., by studying the influence of so‐called “post‐deposition treatments”, as well as characterizing the properties of interfaces with alternative buffer layer materials that give superior efficiencies on large, module‐sized areas.
- Authors:
-
[1];
[2];
[1]
- Institute for Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation (IPS) and Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Hermann‐v.‐Helmholtz‐Platz 1 76344 Eggenstein‐Leopoldshafen Germany, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) 4505 Maryland Parkway Las Vegas NV 89154‐4003 USA
- Institute for Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation (IPS) and Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ITCP) Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Hermann‐v.‐Helmholtz‐Platz 1 76344 Eggenstein‐Leopoldshafen Germany
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1495589
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1495591
- Grant/Contract Number:
- DE‐AC02‐05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Advanced Materials Journal Volume: 31 Journal Issue: 26; Journal ID: ISSN 0935-9648
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Weinhardt, Lothar, Hauschild, Dirk, and Heske, Clemens. Surface and Interface Properties in Thin‐Film Solar Cells: Using Soft X‐rays and Electrons to Unravel the Electronic and Chemical Structure. Germany: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1002/adma.201806660.
Weinhardt, Lothar, Hauschild, Dirk, & Heske, Clemens. Surface and Interface Properties in Thin‐Film Solar Cells: Using Soft X‐rays and Electrons to Unravel the Electronic and Chemical Structure. Germany. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201806660
Weinhardt, Lothar, Hauschild, Dirk, and Heske, Clemens. Thu .
"Surface and Interface Properties in Thin‐Film Solar Cells: Using Soft X‐rays and Electrons to Unravel the Electronic and Chemical Structure". Germany. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201806660.
@article{osti_1495589,
title = {Surface and Interface Properties in Thin‐Film Solar Cells: Using Soft X‐rays and Electrons to Unravel the Electronic and Chemical Structure},
author = {Weinhardt, Lothar and Hauschild, Dirk and Heske, Clemens},
abstractNote = {Abstract Thin‐film solar cells have great potential to overtake the currently dominant silicon‐based solar cell technologies in a strongly growing market. Such thin‐film devices consist of a multilayer structure, for which charge‐carrier transport across interfaces plays a crucial role in minimizing the associated recombination losses and achieving high solar conversion efficiencies. Further development can strongly profit from a high‐level characterization that gives a local, electronic, and chemical picture of the interface properties, which allows for an insight‐driven optimization. Herein, the authors' recent progress of applying a “toolbox” of high‐level laboratory‐ and synchrotron‐based electron and soft X‐ray spectroscopies to characterize the chemical and electronic properties of such applied interfaces is provided. With this toolbox in hand, the activities are paired with those of experts in thin‐film solar cell preparation at the cutting edge of current developments to obtain a deeper understanding of the recent improvements in the field, e.g., by studying the influence of so‐called “post‐deposition treatments”, as well as characterizing the properties of interfaces with alternative buffer layer materials that give superior efficiencies on large, module‐sized areas.},
doi = {10.1002/adma.201806660},
journal = {Advanced Materials},
number = 26,
volume = 31,
place = {Germany},
year = {Thu Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2019},
month = {Thu Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2019}
}
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201806660
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201806660
Other availability
Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Cited by: 18 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Web of Science
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.
Works referenced in this record:
Study of the new β-In2S3 containing Na thin films. Part II: Optical and electrical characterization of thin films
journal, May 2002
- Barreau, N.; Bernède, J. C.; Marsillac, S.
- Journal of Crystal Growth, Vol. 241, Issue 1-2
Quantitative electron spectroscopy of surfaces: A standard data base for electron inelastic mean free paths in solids
journal, February 1979
- Seah, M. P.; Dench, W. A.
- Surface and Interface Analysis, Vol. 1, Issue 1
Theoretical analysis of the effect of conduction band offset of window/CIS layers on performance of CIS solar cells using device simulation
journal, March 2001
- Minemoto, Takashi; Matsui, Takuya; Takakura, Hideyuki
- Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 67, Issue 1-4
Influence of Na and H2O on the surface properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films
journal, September 1997
- Heske, C.; Richter, G.; Chen, Zhonghui
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 82, Issue 5
Band-Gap Widening at the Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 Surface: A Novel Determination Approach Using Reflection Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy
journal, August 2016
- Hauschild, Dirk; Handick, Evelyn; Göhl-Gusenleitner, Sina
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 8, Issue 32
Impact of Cd2+-treatment on the band alignment at the ILGAR-ZnO/CuIn(S,Se)2 heterojunction
journal, May 2003
- Weinhardt, L.; Bär, M.; Muffler, H. -J.
- Thin Solid Films, Vol. 431-432
Influence of substrates on the electrical properties of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films
journal, June 1996
- Ruckh, M.; Schmid, D.; Kaiser, M.
- Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 41-42
Experimental indication for band gap widening of chalcopyrite solar cell absorbers after potassium fluoride treatment
journal, August 2014
- Pistor, P.; Greiner, D.; Kaufmann, C. A.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 6
Na‐induced effects on the electronic structure and composition of Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 thin‐film surfaces
journal, June 1996
- Heske, C.; Fink, R.; Umbach, E.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 68, Issue 24
Characterisation and modelling of chalcopyrite solar cells
journal, May 2001
- Klenk, Reiner
- Thin Solid Films, Vol. 387, Issue 1-2
Study on ALD In 2 S 3 /Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 interface formation : ALD I
journal, January 2005
- Sterner, J.; Malmström, J.; Stolt, L.
- Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 13, Issue 3
Localization of Na impurities at the buried CdS/Cu(In, Ga)Se2 heterojunction
journal, October 1999
- Heske, C.; Eich, D.; Fink, R.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 75, Issue 14
Rubidium Fluoride Post-Deposition Treatment: Impact on the Chemical Structure of the Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Surface and CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Interface in Thin-Film Solar Cells
journal, October 2018
- Kreikemeyer-Lorenzo, Dagmar; Hauschild, Dirk; Jackson, Philip
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 10, Issue 43
Impact of Annealing-Induced Intermixing on the Electronic Level Alignment at the In 2 S 3 /Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Thin-Film Solar Cell Interface
journal, January 2016
- Bär, Marcus; Barreau, Nicolas; Couzinié-Devy, François
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 8, Issue 3
A closer look at initial CdS growth on high-efficiency Cu(In, Ga)Se2 absorbers using surface-sensitive methods
conference, June 2016
- Friedlmeier, Theresa Magorian; Jackson, Philip; Kreikemeyer-Lorenzo, Dagmar
- 2016 IEEE 43rd Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC)
Solid and liquid spectroscopic analysis (SALSA)–a soft x-ray spectroscopy endstation with a novel flow-through liquid cell
journal, December 2009
- Blum, M.; Weinhardt, L.; Fuchs, O.
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 80, Issue 12
Semi-quantitative and non-destructive analysis of impurities at a buried interface: Na and the CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 heterojunction
journal, January 2000
- Heske, C.; Eich, D.; Fink, R.
- Surface and Interface Analysis, Vol. 30, Issue 1
Formation of the ZnSe/(Te/)GaAs() heterojunction
journal, May 2003
- Gleim, Th; Heske, C.; Umbach, E.
- Surface Science, Vol. 531, Issue 1
Revealing Surface Modifications of Potassium-Fluoride-Treated Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 : A Study of Material Structure, Chemistry, and Photovoltaic Performance
journal, July 2016
- Aguiar, Jeffery A.; Stokes, Adam; Jiang, Chun-Sheng
- Advanced Materials Interfaces, Vol. 3, Issue 17
Potassium-induced surface modification of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films for high-efficiency solar cells
journal, November 2013
- Chirilă, Adrian; Reinhard, Patrick; Pianezzi, Fabian
- Nature Materials, Vol. 12, Issue 12
Investigation of the potassium fluoride post deposition treatment on the CIGSe/CdS interface using hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy – a comparative study
journal, January 2016
- Ümsür, Bünyamin; Calvet, Wolfram; Steigert, Alexander
- Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Vol. 18, Issue 20
KF post-deposition treatment of industrial Cu(In, Ga)(S, Se) 2 thin-film surfaces: Modifying the chemical and electronic structure
journal, August 2017
- Mezher, Michelle; Mansfield, Lorelle M.; Horsley, Kimberly
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 111, Issue 7
Formation of a K—In—Se Surface Species by NaF/KF Postdeposition Treatment of Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Thin-Film Solar Cell Absorbers
journal, January 2017
- Handick, Evelyn; Reinhard, Patrick; Wilks, Regan G.
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 9, Issue 4
Effects of heavy alkali elements in Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 solar cells with efficiencies up to 22.6%
journal, July 2016
- Jackson, Philip; Wuerz, Roland; Hariskos, Dimitrios
- physica status solidi (RRL) - Rapid Research Letters, Vol. 10, Issue 8
Solar cell efficiency tables (version 52)
journal, June 2018
- Green, Martin A.; Hishikawa, Yoshihiro; Dunlop, Ewan D.
- Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 26, Issue 7
High-resolution, high-transmission soft x-ray spectrometer for the study of biological samples
journal, June 2009
- Fuchs, O.; Weinhardt, L.; Blum, M.
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 80, Issue 6
Flat conduction-band alignment at the CdS/CuInSe2 thin-film solar-cell heterojunction
journal, December 2001
- Morkel, M.; Weinhardt, L.; Lohmüller, B.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 79, Issue 27
Chalcopyrite/defect chalcopyrite heterojunctions on the basis of CuInSe 2
journal, March 1993
- Schmid, D.; Ruckh, M.; Grunwald, F.
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 73, Issue 6
Impact of a RbF Postdeposition Treatment on the Electronic Structure of the CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 Heterojunction in High-Efficiency Thin-Film Solar Cells
journal, September 2017
- Hauschild, D.; Kreikemeyer-Lorenzo, D.; Jackson, P.
- ACS Energy Letters, Vol. 2, Issue 10
Improving performance by Na doping of a buffer layer-chemical and electronic structure of the In x S y :Na/CuIn(S,Se) 2 thin-film solar cell interface
journal, February 2018
- Hauschild, Dirk; Meyer, Frank; Benkert, Andreas
- Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 26, Issue 5
Annealing-Induced Effects on the Chemical Structure of the In 2 S 3 /CuIn(S,Se) 2 Thin-Film Solar Cell Interface
journal, May 2015
- Hauschild, D.; Meyer, F.; Benkert, A.
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Vol. 119, Issue 19
High-efficiency in situ resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (iRIXS) endstation at the Advanced Light Source
journal, March 2017
- Qiao, Ruimin; Li, Qinghao; Zhuo, Zengqing
- Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 88, Issue 3
Optical characterization and modeling of Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 solar cells with spectroscopic ellipsometry and coherent numerical simulation
journal, May 2013
- Richter, M.; Schubbert, C.; Eraerds, P.
- Thin Solid Films, Vol. 535
Photoemission studies on Cu(In, Ga)Se2 thin films and related binary selenides
journal, December 1996
- Schmid, D.; Ruckh, M.; Schock, H. W.
- Applied Surface Science, Vol. 103, Issue 4
Nondestructive depth-resolved spectroscopic investigation of the heavily intermixed In2S3/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 interface
journal, May 2010
- Bär, M.; Barreau, N.; Couzinié-Devy, F.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 96, Issue 18
Band alignment at the CdS∕Cu(In,Ga)S2 interface in thin-film solar cells
journal, February 2005
- Weinhardt, L.; Fuchs, O.; Groß, D.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 86, Issue 6
Self-limitation of Na content at the CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 solar cell heterojunction
journal, February 2000
- Heske, C.; Eich, D.; Groh, U.
- Thin Solid Films, Vol. 361-362
Calculations of electron inelastic mean free paths. V. Data for 14 organic compounds over the 50-2000 eV range
journal, March 1994
- Tanuma, S.; Powell, C. J.; Penn, D. R.
- Surface and Interface Analysis, Vol. 21, Issue 3