Characterization of Cu(InGa)Se2 (CIGS) thin films in solar cell devices

Local photocurrent mapping and cell performance behaviour on a nanometre scale for monolithically interconnected Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

The local efficiency of lamellar shaped Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells has been investigated using scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). Topographic and photocurrent measurements have been performed simultaneously with a 100 nm tip aperture. The lamellar shaped solar cell with monolithic interconnects (P scribe) has been investigated on a nanometre scale for the first time at different regions using SNOM. It was found that, the cell region between P1 and P2 significantly contributes to the solar cells overall photocurrent generation. The photocurrent produced depends locally on the sample topography and it is concluded that it is mainly due to roughness changes of the ZnO:Al/i-ZnO top electrode. Regions lying under large grains of ZnO produce significantly less current than regions under small granules. The observed photocurrent features were allocated primarily to the ZnO:Al/i-ZnO top electrode. They were found to be independent of the wavelength of the light used (532 nm and 633 nm).

Depth profiling analysis of CuIn1-xGa(x)Se2 absorber layer by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy in atmospheric conditions

This work reports the capability of depth profile analysis of thin CuIn1-xGa(x)Se2 (CIGS) absorber layer (1.89 μm) with a sub-hundred nanometer resolution by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The LIBS analysis was carried out with a commercial CIGS solar cell on flexible substrate by using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (λ = 532 nm, τ = 5 ns, top-hat profile) and an intensified charge-coupled device spectrometer in atmospheric conditions. The measured LIBS elemental profiles across the CIGS layer agreed closely to those measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The resolution of depth profile analysis was about 88 nm. Owing to the short measurement time of LIBS and the capability of in-air measurement, it is expected that LIBS can be applied for in situ analysis of elemental composition and their distribution across the film thickness during development and manufacturing of CIGS solar cells.