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journal article·2020-12Open access

Morphological–Electrical Property Relation in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 Solar Cells: Significance of Crystal Grain Growth and Band Grading by Potassium Treatment

Joo‐Hyun Kim, Min Kyu Kim, Abay Gadisa, Samuel J. Stuard, Masrur Morshed Nahid, Soyeong Kwon, Soohyun Bae, Byoungwoo Kim, Gi Soon Park, Da Hye Won, Dong Ki Lee, Dong‐Wook Kim, Tae Joo Shin, Young Rag Do, Jihyun Kim, Won Jun Choi, Harald Ade, Byoung Koun Min

Small· Volume 16· Issue 48
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Abstract

Abstract Solution‐processed Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGS) has a great potential for the production of large‐area photovoltaic devices at low cost. However, CIGS solar cells processed from solution exhibit relatively lower performance compared to vacuum‐processed devices because of a lack of proper composition distribution, which is mainly instigated by the limited Se uptake during chalcogenization. In this work, a unique potassium treatment method is utilized to improve the selenium uptake judiciously, enhancing grain sizes and forming a wider bandgap minimum region. Careful engineering of the bandgap grading structure also results in an enlarged space charge region, which is favorable for electron–hole separation and efficient charge carrier collection. Besides, this device processing approach has led to a linearly increasing electron diffusion length and carrier lifetime with increasing the grain size of the CIGS film, which is a critical achievement for enhancing photocurrent yield. Overall, 15% of power conversion efficiency is achieved in solar cells processed from environmentally benign solutions. This approach offers critical insights for precise device design and processing rules for solution‐processed CIGS solar cells.
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Research context

Electronic materials

OpenAlex topics: Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films · Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties · Copper-based nanomaterials and applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Clean Energy Research Center Korea Institute of Science and Technology 5, Hwarang‐ro 14‐gil, Seongbuk‐gu Seoul 02792 Republic of Korea

Department of Physics and Organic and Carbon Electronics Laboratories (ORaCEL) North Carolina State University 851 Main Campus Dr. Raleigh NC 27695 USA

Department of Physics Ewha Womans University 52, Ewhayeodae‐gil, Seodaemun‐gu Seoul 03760 Republic of Korea

UNIST Central Research Facilities Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology 50, UNIST‐gil Ulsan 44919 Republic of Korea

Department of Chemistry Kookmin University 77, Jeongneung‐ro, Seongbuk‐gu Seoul 02707 Republic of Korea

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Korea University 145, Anam‐ro, Seongbuk‐gu Seoul 02841 Republic of Korea

Graduate School of Energy and Environment Korea University 145, Anam‐ro, Seongbuk‐gu Seoul 02841 Republic of Korea

Funding

Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning · National Science Foundation · U.S. Department of Energy · Research Opportunities Initiative, University of North Carolina

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