High-performance, ultra-light flexible CIGS Solar Cell

Información del proyecto

UL-Flex-Cell

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: 889512

DOI

10.3030/889512

Proyecto finalizado el 30 Septiembre 2022

Fecha de la firma de la CE 3 Marzo 2020

Fecha de inicio 16 Febrero 2021

Fecha de finalización 15 Febrero 2023

Financiado con arreglo a

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Coste total

€ 159 815,04

Aportación de la UE

€ 159 815,04

Coordinado por

INTERNATIONAL IBERIAN NANOTECHNOLOGY LABORATORY
Portugal

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - UL-Flex-Cell (High-performance, ultra-light flexible CIGS Solar Cell)

Período documentado: 2021-02-16 hasta 2023-02-15

Resumen del contexto y de los objetivos generales del proyecto

Photovoltaic (PV), a sustainable and renewable source of energy, is the best alternative to suppress the emission of greenhouse gases and limit global warming. The cost of PV systems is dropping continuously, and their energy generation price is not affected by future fuel price increases
Among different thin-film PV technologies, the compound semiconductors of the family I-III-VI2, Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS), exhibit higher power conversion efficiency. CIGS is a polycrystalline direct bandgap material with tunable bandgap between 1.04eV and 1.68eV (depending on gallium concentration), a high absorption coefficient in the visible spectrum, a thin absorber thickness that is 1/100 of that of silicon (Si) solar cells, and excellent radiation hardness. In comparison to Si solar cells (which dominate the present market), they are lighter, significantly cheaper to produce, and can be made flexible. Therefore, I proposed to develop high-efficiency, flexible single-junction CIGS solar cells using the innovative combination of pulsed hybrid reactive magnetron sputtering (PHRMS) and laser pulses.
PHRMS is a world-unique, single-step deposition process in which the amount of selenium (Se) in the deposition chamber is precisely controlled, while simultaneously sputtering a Cu-In-Ga thin film. Additionally, with controlled Se pulses, the atomic mobility of anion and cation species was promoted to enhance phase transformation.

Trabajo realizado desde el comienzo del proyecto hasta el final del período abarcado por el informe y los principales resultados hasta la fecha

The project has achieved some of its objectives and milestones
• Objective #1. Development of low-temperature growth of CIGS by a pulsed selenization process of simultaneously sputtered metal compound Cu-In-Ga.
Without using a rotating substrate holder during the CIGS deposition at low substrate temperature, a uniform process was developed that minimised CIGS alloys' gradients in 5 cm Χ 5 cm soda-lime glass (SLG). This achievement enables the deposition of CIGS thin film on flexible substrates.
• Objective # 2. Controlled alkali doping of the CIGS thin film.
A new method of incorporating heavy alkali metal (especially cesium) was disclosed to improve the efficiency of CIGS thin film solar cells. As a typical example, the efficiency of CIGS solar cell developed using the PHRMS system was improved by > 33 % using the newly developed solution process.
• Objective # 3. Se-free annealing of Cs-treated CIGS thin film and solar cell performance
The effect of Se-free annealing of Cs treatment on CIGS thin film was investigated. It is disclosed that annealing of CsF-treated CIGS thin films changes the surface morphology and the chemical composition, and reduces the Urbach energy. However, the full benefit of the reduced Urbach energies of the annealed samples is not obtained because of an increased buffer/CIGS interface recombination as a consequence of re-evaporation of the alkali-containing layer from the surface region upon annealing.

Avances que van más allá del estado de la técnica e impacto potencial esperado (incluida la repercusión socioeconómica y las implicaciones sociales más amplias del proyecto hasta la fecha)

A uniform deposition of CIGS thin film using the PHRMS system at low substrate temperature was demonistrated. Low-temperature CIGS growth is of utmost importance for the fabrication of flexible (and building-integrated) PV. Additionally, the developed solution method of heavy alkali metal treatment secures the low-cost post-treatment of CIGS thin film to improve the performance.

J-V curves of CIGSH solar cell fabricated using PHRMS at low-substrate temperature.