Improving the performance of solar cells with novel buffer structure by the chemical bath deposition technique

Autor: Chi-Hsiao Yeh, Cheng-Kai Lin, Chien-Chih Chiang, Wei-Tse Hsu, Jyh-Jier Ho, Jia-Show Ho, Chau-Chang Chou, Sheng-Shih Wang, Song-Yeu Tsai, Kang L. Wang, Shih-Cheng Chang
Rok vydání: 2017
Předmět:
Zdroj: Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing. 59:29-34
ISSN: 1369-8001
DOI: 10.1016/j.mssp.2016.09.044
Popis: This paper explores and compares the characteristics of eight different kinds of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells. Through the technique of chemical bath deposition (CBD), single- (i-ZnO) and double-layer (ZnS/CdS) CIGS cells were prepared and evaluated. The results of this research signify the potential of high-performance CIGS cells for photovoltaic (PV) industrial applications. This study focused on the growth-dependency and optical properties of ZnS/CdS-buffer stacked thin films, which were prepared through the CBD process. The best sample developed from this process consisted of a double-layer buffer and no i-ZnO layer. This sample yielded a conversion efficiency (η) of 9.23% and a short-circuit current density (JSC) of 26.72 mA/cm2. The performance of this sample was about 25% (absolute gain) better than that of the standard CdS cells. Furthermore, the average quantum efficiency in the short wavelength range (350–500 nm) for two of the ZnS/CdS buffer structures was 6.8% better than that of a single-layer CdS cell. This improvement can be attributed to the anti-reflective effect of the ZnS/CdS buffer structure, which increases the light-intensity incident on the main absorption layer. In addition, the ZnS/CdS-buffer layer not only eliminates the need for an i-ZnO layer but also reduces the usage of toxic Cd. The procedures to develop these flexible CIGS cells containing a ZnS/CdS buffer structure are simple, efficient, and reliable. These eco-friendly cells could be effectively applied to mass production for commercial PV applications.
Databáze: OpenAIRE