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Title: Improving the efficiency of copper indium gallium (Di-)selenide (CIGS) solar cells through integration of a moth-eye textured resist with a refractive index similar to aluminum doped zinc oxide

Abstract

Textured transparent conductors are widely used in thin-film silicon solar cells. They lower the reflectivity at interfaces between different layers in the cell and/or cause an increase in the path length of photons in the Si absorber layer, which both result in an increase in the number of absorbed photons and, consequently, an increase in short-circuit current density (J{sub sc}) and cell efficiency. Through optical simulations, we recently obtained strong indications that texturing of the transparent conductor in copper indium gallium (di-)selenide (CIGS) solar cells is also optically advantageous. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that the J{sub sc} and efficiency of CIGS solar cells with an absorber layer thickness (d{sub CIGS}) of 0.85 μm, 1.00 μm and 2.00 μm increase through application of a moth-eye textured resist with a refractive index that is sufficiently similar to AZO (n{sub resist} = 1.792 vs. n{sub AZO} = 1.913 at 633 nm) to avoid large optical losses at the resist-AZO interface. On average, J{sub sc} increases by 7.2%, which matches the average reduction in reflection of 7.0%. The average relative increase in efficiency is slightly lower (6.0%). No trend towards a larger relative increase in J{sub sc} with decreasing d{sub CIGS} was observed. Ergo, themore » increase in J{sub sc} can be fully explained by the reduction in reflection, and we did not observe any increase in J{sub sc} based on an increased photon path length.« less

Authors:
; ; ;  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), De Rondom 1, 5612 AP, Eindhoven (Netherlands)
  2. Kriya Materials BV, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD, Geleen (Netherlands)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22420227
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
AIP Advances
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 4; Journal Issue: 12; Other Information: (c) 2014 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 2158-3226
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; ALUMINIUM; COPPER; CURRENT DENSITY; DOPED MATERIALS; EFFICIENCY; ELECTRICAL FAULTS; GALLIUM; INDIUM; INTERFACES; PHOTONS; REFLECTIVITY; REFRACTIVE INDEX; SILICON SOLAR CELLS; SIMULATION; THICKNESS; THIN FILMS; ZINC OXIDES

Citation Formats

Burghoorn, M., Kniknie, B., Deelen, J. van, Ee, R. van, Xu, M., Delft University of Technology, Optics Group, Van der Waalsweg 8, 2628 CH, Delft, Vroon, Z., Zuyd Hogeschool, Nieuw Eyckholt 300, 6419 DJ, Heerlen, Belt, R. van de, Buskens, P., E-mail: pascal.buskens@tno.nl, E-mail: buskens@dwi.rwth-aachen.de, and DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52056, Aachen. Improving the efficiency of copper indium gallium (Di-)selenide (CIGS) solar cells through integration of a moth-eye textured resist with a refractive index similar to aluminum doped zinc oxide. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4905456.
Burghoorn, M., Kniknie, B., Deelen, J. van, Ee, R. van, Xu, M., Delft University of Technology, Optics Group, Van der Waalsweg 8, 2628 CH, Delft, Vroon, Z., Zuyd Hogeschool, Nieuw Eyckholt 300, 6419 DJ, Heerlen, Belt, R. van de, Buskens, P., E-mail: pascal.buskens@tno.nl, E-mail: buskens@dwi.rwth-aachen.de, & DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52056, Aachen. Improving the efficiency of copper indium gallium (Di-)selenide (CIGS) solar cells through integration of a moth-eye textured resist with a refractive index similar to aluminum doped zinc oxide. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905456
Burghoorn, M., Kniknie, B., Deelen, J. van, Ee, R. van, Xu, M., Delft University of Technology, Optics Group, Van der Waalsweg 8, 2628 CH, Delft, Vroon, Z., Zuyd Hogeschool, Nieuw Eyckholt 300, 6419 DJ, Heerlen, Belt, R. van de, Buskens, P., E-mail: pascal.buskens@tno.nl, E-mail: buskens@dwi.rwth-aachen.de, and DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52056, Aachen. 2014. "Improving the efficiency of copper indium gallium (Di-)selenide (CIGS) solar cells through integration of a moth-eye textured resist with a refractive index similar to aluminum doped zinc oxide". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905456.
@article{osti_22420227,
title = {Improving the efficiency of copper indium gallium (Di-)selenide (CIGS) solar cells through integration of a moth-eye textured resist with a refractive index similar to aluminum doped zinc oxide},
author = {Burghoorn, M. and Kniknie, B. and Deelen, J. van and Ee, R. van and Xu, M. and Delft University of Technology, Optics Group, Van der Waalsweg 8, 2628 CH, Delft and Vroon, Z. and Zuyd Hogeschool, Nieuw Eyckholt 300, 6419 DJ, Heerlen and Belt, R. van de and Buskens, P., E-mail: pascal.buskens@tno.nl, E-mail: buskens@dwi.rwth-aachen.de and DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, 52056, Aachen},
abstractNote = {Textured transparent conductors are widely used in thin-film silicon solar cells. They lower the reflectivity at interfaces between different layers in the cell and/or cause an increase in the path length of photons in the Si absorber layer, which both result in an increase in the number of absorbed photons and, consequently, an increase in short-circuit current density (J{sub sc}) and cell efficiency. Through optical simulations, we recently obtained strong indications that texturing of the transparent conductor in copper indium gallium (di-)selenide (CIGS) solar cells is also optically advantageous. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that the J{sub sc} and efficiency of CIGS solar cells with an absorber layer thickness (d{sub CIGS}) of 0.85 μm, 1.00 μm and 2.00 μm increase through application of a moth-eye textured resist with a refractive index that is sufficiently similar to AZO (n{sub resist} = 1.792 vs. n{sub AZO} = 1.913 at 633 nm) to avoid large optical losses at the resist-AZO interface. On average, J{sub sc} increases by 7.2%, which matches the average reduction in reflection of 7.0%. The average relative increase in efficiency is slightly lower (6.0%). No trend towards a larger relative increase in J{sub sc} with decreasing d{sub CIGS} was observed. Ergo, the increase in J{sub sc} can be fully explained by the reduction in reflection, and we did not observe any increase in J{sub sc} based on an increased photon path length.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4905456},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22420227}, journal = {AIP Advances},
issn = {2158-3226},
number = 12,
volume = 4,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}