Surface and Interface Properties in Thin‐Film Solar Cells: Using Soft X‐rays and Electrons to Unravel the Electronic and Chemical Structure

Weinhardt, Lothar; Hauschild, Dirk; Heske, Clemens

doi:10.1002/adma.201806660

Title: Surface and Interface Properties in Thin‐Film Solar Cells: Using Soft X‐rays and Electrons to Unravel the Electronic and Chemical Structure

Journal Article · 21 February 2019 · Advanced Materials

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201806660 · OSTI ID:1495589

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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

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.

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1495589

Journal Information:: Advanced Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Materials Journal Issue: 26 Vol. 31; ISSN 0935-9648

Publisher:: Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: Germany

Language:: English

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