Optical and Structural Properties of High-Efficiency Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Grown on GaAs

Guthrey, Harvey L.; Norman, Andrew; Nishinaga, Jiro; Niki, Shigeru; Al-Jassim, Mowafak M.; Shibata, Hajime

doi:10.1021/acsami.9b18040

Title: Optical and Structural Properties of High-Efficiency Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ Grown on GaAs

Abstract

Photovoltaic devices based on Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) usually employ polycrystalline thin films as the absorber layer. This is because, to date, the highest conversion efficiencies have been attained with polycrystalline CIGS films. Recently, Nishinaga et al. presented an epitaxial CIGS thin-film solar cell grown on a GaAs (100) substrate with a conversion efficiency of 20.0%. In this contribution, we study the optical and structural properties of this high-efficiency epitaxial film, along with others with different compositions using cathodoluminescence spectrum imaging and transmission electron microscopy. A comparison of the high-efficiency epitaxial film and a traditional polycrystalline film with a similar global composition reveals significant differences in microstructure and uniformity of emission properties despite similar performance. The analysis of epitaxial films with a higher gallium concentration indicates that the emission characteristics and nature of extended defects in epitaxial CIGS films are strongly dependent on the gallium content. The results presented here provide evidence that, with further optimization, photovoltaic conversion efficiencies of epitaxial CIGS films could exceed those of polycrystalline CIGS.

Authors:

^[1];

^[2]; Niki, Shigeru ^[2]; Al-Jassim, Mowafak M. ^[1]; Shibata, Hajime ^[2]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
National Inst. of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba (Japan)

Publication Date:: Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2019

Research Org.:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

OSTI Identifier:: 1592394

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5K00-72576
Journal ID: ISSN 1944-8244

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 12; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1944-8244

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; epitaxial CIGS; cathodoluminescence; solar cell; defect characterization; TEM; CIGS microscopy

Citation Formats


                    Guthrey, Harvey L., Norman, Andrew, Nishinaga, Jiro, Niki, Shigeru, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., and Shibata, Hajime. Optical and Structural Properties of High-Efficiency Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Grown on GaAs.  United States: N. p., 2019. 
Web.  doi:10.1021/acsami.9b18040.

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                    Guthrey, Harvey L., Norman, Andrew, Nishinaga, Jiro, Niki, Shigeru, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., & Shibata, Hajime. Optical and Structural Properties of High-Efficiency Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Grown on GaAs.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b18040

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                    Guthrey, Harvey L., Norman, Andrew, Nishinaga, Jiro, Niki, Shigeru, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., and Shibata, Hajime. Tue .  
"Optical and Structural Properties of High-Efficiency Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Grown on GaAs".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b18040.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1592394.

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@article{osti_1592394,

  title        = {Optical and Structural Properties of High-Efficiency Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Grown on GaAs},

  author       = {Guthrey, Harvey L. and Norman, Andrew and Nishinaga, Jiro and Niki, Shigeru and Al-Jassim, Mowafak M. and Shibata, Hajime},

  abstractNote = {Photovoltaic devices based on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) usually employ polycrystalline thin films as the absorber layer. This is because, to date, the highest conversion efficiencies have been attained with polycrystalline CIGS films. Recently, Nishinaga et al. presented an epitaxial CIGS thin-film solar cell grown on a GaAs (100) substrate with a conversion efficiency of 20.0%. In this contribution, we study the optical and structural properties of this high-efficiency epitaxial film, along with others with different compositions using cathodoluminescence spectrum imaging and transmission electron microscopy. A comparison of the high-efficiency epitaxial film and a traditional polycrystalline film with a similar global composition reveals significant differences in microstructure and uniformity of emission properties despite similar performance. The analysis of epitaxial films with a higher gallium concentration indicates that the emission characteristics and nature of extended defects in epitaxial CIGS films are strongly dependent on the gallium content. The results presented here provide evidence that, with further optimization, photovoltaic conversion efficiencies of epitaxial CIGS films could exceed those of polycrystalline CIGS.},

  doi          = {10.1021/acsami.9b18040},

  journal      = {ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces},

  number       = 2,

  volume       = 12,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2019},

  month        = {Tue Dec 10 00:00:00 EST 2019}

}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

On the effect of structural disorders on the Urbach’s tails of ternary chalcopyrite semiconductors and related ordered defect compounds
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What limits the efficiency of chalcopyrite solar cells? journal, June 2011

The determination of carrier mobilities in CIGS photovoltaic devices using high-frequency admittance measurements journal, June 2005

Efficiency limitations of polycrystalline thin film solar cells: case of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 journal, June 2005

Effect of Ga content on defect states in CuIn 1−x Ga x Se 2 photovoltaic devices journal, June 2002

Growth of amorphous and epitaxial ZnSiP 2 –Si alloys on Si journal, January 2018

Phase Diagram and Optical Energy Gaps for CuInyGa1−ySe2 Alloys journal, April 1991

Properties and structure of antiphase boundaries in GaAs/Ge solar cells journal, December 1996

Epitaxial growth of CuGaSe 2 thin-films by MBE—Influence of the Cu/Ga ratio journal, September 2017

What limits the efficiency of chalcopyrite solar cells? journal, June 2011

Defects and transport in the wide gap chalcopyrite CuGaSe2 journal, September 2003

Interface reactions and Kirkendall voids in metal organic vapor-phase epitaxy grown Cu(In,Ga)Se[sub 2] thin films on GaAs journal, January 2006

Large Neutral Barrier at Grain Boundaries in Chalcopyrite Thin Films journal, May 2010

On the effect of structural disorders on the Urbach’s tails of ternary chalcopyrite semiconductors and related ordered defect compounds journal, January 2020

Title: Optical and Structural Properties of High-Efficiency Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ Grown on GaAs

Wide bandgap Cu(In,Ga)Se ₂ solar cells with improved energy conversion efficiency : Wide bandgap Cu(In,Ga)Se
journal, June 2012

Record 1.0 V open-circuit voltage in wide band gap chalcopyrite solar cells
journal, July 2017

Innovation highway: Breakthrough milestones and key developments in chalcopyrite photovoltaics from a retrospective viewpoint
journal, July 2017

Accelerated publication 16.4% total-area conversion efficiency thin-film polycrystalline MgF2/ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se2/Mo solar cell
journal, October 1994

Gallium gradients in Cu(In,Ga)Se ₂ thin-film solar cells : Gallium gradients in CIGS thin-film solar cells
journal, March 2014

An investigation of band profile around the grain boundary of Cu(InGa)Se ₂ solar cell material by scanning probe microscopy: Investigation of band profile by scanning probe microscopy
journal, November 2011

Evidence of Enhanced Carrier Collection in Cu(In,Ga)Se ₂ Grain Boundaries: Correlation with Microstructure
journal, March 2018

Ordered vacancy compound CuIn ₃ Se ₅ on GaAs (100): Epitaxial growth and characterization
journal, June 1994

Heteroepitaxy and characterization of CuInSe2 on GaAs(001)
journal, May 1995

Characterization of heteroepitaxial CuIn ₃ Se ₅ and CuInSe ₂ layers on Si substrates
journal, December 1994

Direct growth of heteroepitaxial CuInSe ₂ layers on Si substrates
journal, October 1994

High quality CuInSe ₂ films grown on pseudo‐lattice‐matched substrates by molecular beam epitaxy
journal, July 1996

Growth of CuGaSe$_{2}$ Layers on Closely Lattice-Matched GaAs Substrates by Migration-Enhanced Epitaxy
journal, December 2011

Growth of CuGaSe2 film by molecular beam epitaxy
journal, February 1996

Successful growth of Cu ₂ Se-free CuGaSe ₂ by migration-enhanced epitaxy
journal, March 2012

Photoluminescence study of Si doped and undoped Chalcopyrite CuGaSe2 thin films
journal, August 2013

Epitaxial growth of CuGaSe 2 thin-films by MBE—Influence of the Cu/Ga ratio
journal, September 2017

Admittance spectroscopy of polycrystalline and epitaxially grown CuGaSe2
journal, November 2005

Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)S2 thin film solar cells
journal, November 2005

CuGaSe2 solar cells prepared by MOVPE
journal, March 2001

Low-temperature growth of single-crystal Cu(In,Ga)Se2 films by pulsed electron deposition technique
journal, February 2015

Epitaxial Cu(In,Ga)Se ₂ Thin Films on Mo Back Contact for Solar Cells
journal, May 2019

Excitonic emissions from CuInSe ₂ on GaAs(001) grown by molecular beam epitaxy
journal, August 1995

Growth and Characterization of CuInSe ₂ Epitaxial Films for Device Applications
journal, January 1996

Optical properties of CuGaSe2 and CuAlSe2 layers epitaxially grown on Cu(In0.04Ga0.96)Se2 substrates
journal, May 2000

Interface reactions and Kirkendall voids in metal organic vapor-phase epitaxy grown Cu(In,Ga)Se[sub 2] thin films on GaAs
journal, January 2006

Characteristics of CuGaSe2 layers grown on GaAs substrates
journal, September 2013

Vacancy defects in epitaxial thin film ${CuGaSe}_{2}$ and ${CuInSe}_{2}$
journal, August 2012

Electronic band structure of epitaxial CuInSe $_{2}$ films
journal, September 2011

Radiative recombination via intrinsic defects in CuxGaySe2
journal, April 2001

Gallium diffusion and diffusivity in CuInSe ₂ epitaxial layers
journal, December 1996

Single-crystal Cu(In,Ga)Se ₂ solar cells grown on GaAs substrates
journal, July 2018

Grain-boundary recombination in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells
journal, December 2005

The impact of charged grain boundaries on thin-film solar cells and characterization
journal, September 2005

Effects of long-term heat-light soaking on Cu(In,Ga)Se ₂ solar cells with KF postdeposition treatment
journal, August 2017

Spatially Resolved Recombination Analysis of CuIn _x Ga _1-x Se ₂ Absorbers With Alkali Postdeposition Treatments
journal, November 2018

Applications of the FIB lift-out technique for TEM specimen preparation
journal, May 1998

Photoluminescence and electrical study of fluctuating potentials in Cu $_{2}$ ZnSnS $_{4}$ -based thin films
journal, July 2011

Comparative study of the luminescence and intrinsic point defects in the kesterite Cu $_{2}$ ZnSnS $_{4}$ and chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se $_{2}$ thin films used in photovoltaic applications
journal, October 2011

What limits the efficiency of chalcopyrite solar cells?
journal, June 2011

The determination of carrier mobilities in CIGS photovoltaic devices using high-frequency admittance measurements
journal, June 2005

Efficiency limitations of polycrystalline thin film solar cells: case of Cu(In,Ga)Se2
journal, June 2005

Effect of Ga content on defect states in CuIn _1−x Ga _x Se ₂ photovoltaic devices
journal, June 2002

Growth of amorphous and epitaxial ZnSiP ₂ –Si alloys on Si
journal, January 2018

Phase Diagram and Optical Energy Gaps for CuInyGa1−ySe2 Alloys
journal, April 1991

Properties and structure of antiphase boundaries in GaAs/Ge solar cells
journal, December 1996

Epitaxial growth of CuGaSe 2 thin-films by MBE—Influence of the Cu/Ga ratio
journal, September 2017

What limits the efficiency of chalcopyrite solar cells?
journal, June 2011

Defects and transport in the wide gap chalcopyrite CuGaSe2
journal, September 2003

Interface reactions and Kirkendall voids in metal organic vapor-phase epitaxy grown Cu(In,Ga)Se[sub 2] thin films on GaAs
journal, January 2006

Large Neutral Barrier at Grain Boundaries in Chalcopyrite Thin Films
journal, May 2010

On the effect of structural disorders on the Urbach’s tails of ternary chalcopyrite semiconductors and related ordered defect compounds
journal, January 2020