Issue 14, 2020

The fox and the hound: in-depth and in-grain Na doping and Ga grading in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Abstract

Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 (CIGS) thin film solar cells require appropriate depth and lateral distributions of alkali metal dopants and gallium to attain world record photovoltaic energy conversion. The two requirements are interdependent because sodium is known to hamper In/Ga interdiffusion in polycrystalline films. However, such a fact is challenged by recent findings where sodium appears to enhance In/Ga interdiffusion in monocrystalline films. This contribution reviews closely the two cases to the benefits of grain boundary engineering in CIGS. A computational model reveals why Na induces In accumulation at CIGS grain boundaries, confining Ga to grain interiors. The positive technological implications for wider gap chalcopyrites are stressed.

Graphical abstract: The fox and the hound: in-depth and in-grain Na doping and Ga grading in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
28 Janv. 2020
Accepted
16 Marts 2020
First published
30 Marts 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 6471-6479

The fox and the hound: in-depth and in-grain Na doping and Ga grading in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

D. Colombara, K. Conley, M. Malitckaya, H. Komsa and M. J. Puska, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, 8, 6471 DOI: 10.1039/D0TA01103G

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