cigs solar cell structure
The buffer layer, also known as the window layer, helps ease the electrical transition from the CIGS absorber layer to the transparent Al doped ZnO top contact. In the world of semiconductors, “band gap” is the difference in energy between the valence band and the conduction band of a solid material. Great gains in efficiency could be attained if ... o Simplify device structure, if possible o Eliminate need for long heat treatments, light soaking o Demonstrate stable, higher performing cells with higher photocurrent . CIGS is a tetrahedrally bonded semiconductor, with the chalcopyrite crystal structure. Light enters the device through an optical coating, or antireflection layer, that minimizes the loss of light by reflection; it effectively traps the light falling on the solar cell by promoting its transmission to the energy-conversion layers below. Solar cells have 550 nm thick, single-stage CIGS absorber layers with an active area of 0.5 cm 2 . BRUSSELS (Belgium), SEPTEMBER 24, 2018 — Today at the EU PVSEC conference, imec, the world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics, energy and digital technologies, presents a thin-film tandem solar cell consisting of a top perovskite cell developed by imec within the partnerships of EnergyVille and Solliance, and a bottom CIGS cell from the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen … The structure of the solar cell is (Ni/Al)/MgF 2 /ZnO:B/i-ZnO/CdS/OVC/CIGS/Mo/substrate (Figure 1). However, this material is highly toxic, especially if inhaled, and cadmium compounds are classified as carcinogenic. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They can be integrated into vehicles such as tractor trailers, airplanes, and cars, as their low profile minimizes air resistance and they do not add significant weight. Modeling of CIGS single–junction solar cell using multiple quantum well structure with enhanced efficiency December 2020 Optical and Quantum Electronics 52(12) 14,18,19 Also, in case of flexible CIGS solar cells, the metallic grid causes an additional optical shading,20 reducing even more the optical performance of these solar cells. Efficient sunlight absorption can be achieved in CIGS layers as thin as 1 µm, 100 times thinner than a crystalline silicon solar cell4, as evidenced in Figure 1. It is best known as the material for CIGS solar cells a thin-film technology used in the photovoltaic industry. Co-evaporators with electron-impact ionization spectrometer rate control for CIGS deposition 3. Jun 15, 2020. However, commercial CIGS cells have lower efficiencies, with most modules attaining about 14 percent conversion. In one process, a printer lays droplets of semiconducting ink onto an aluminum foil. The poster additionally looks at the growth of films influenced by varying concentrations of actinium compounds (ZnAc and HAc) in the spray pyrolysis application. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In addition, the scientists stated, “In the case of flexible CIGS solar cells, the metallic grid causes an additional optical shading, reducing even more the optical performance.” The IBC cell designed by the Delft team was compared with an 11.9%-efficient FBC device supplied by Dutch institute Solliance Solar Research , with the Delft team focusing particularly on absorber performance. The proposed rear surface passivated solar cell structure is the following: SLG/Si(O,N)/Mo/ HfO x /KF/CIGS/NaF/CdS/i-ZnO/ZnO:Al/Ni-Ag-Ni Grids, as shown in Figure 1a. One company, Nanosolar, based in San Jose, Calif., has developed a way to make the CIGS material as an ink containing nanoparticles. Exploring a Better Way to Make CIGS Solar Cells, Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells are now in production for energy conversion devices. Beside the toxicity of Cd, the main drawback of CdS is its relatively narrow band gap (2.4 eV), which can lead to the current loss due to parasitic absorption. The buffer is made of a material that provides a band gap layer between the absorber and the electrical transmitter. Although CIGS solar cells are considered to be in the early stages of large-scale commercialization, they can be produced by using a process that has the potential to reduce the cost of producing photovoltaic devices. That CIGS film acts as a direct bandgap semiconductor and forms a heterojunction, as the bandgaps of the two different materials are unequal. Updates? We can fabricate novel materials and device structures and also perform advanced characterization and device modeling. The results from the MgF 2 layer investigation lead to achieving a high cell performance with an optimum ARC layer thickness of 120 nm under the AM1.5G spectrum, 300 K, and reconfirms the suitability of MgF 2 as a good ARC material for such devices. In 2014, laboratory experiments produced a record efficiency of 23.2 percent by a CIGS cell with a modified surface structure. The advanced cell design also combines a rear surface passivation layer and—as thin film solar cells have short minority carrier diffusion lengths—a technologically feasible approach to generate nano-sized local point contacts. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/technology/CIGS-solar-cell, Energy.gov - Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide. CIGS Cell using CdS Buffer. The newest generation of thin-film solar cells uses thin layers of either cadmium telluride (CdTe) or copper indium gallium deselenide (CIGS) instead. Novel approaches are being developed that are more similar to printing technologies than traditional silicon solar-cell fabrication. © 2021 Thermo Fisher Scientific. These defects are the dominant deep traps in the CIGS … The effect of changing optical, electrical and structural material properties of the window layer in relation to the electrical performance of the solar cell devices is studied. These studies will enable CIGS film and other solar collection device developers to find safer, cheaper and more efficient materials for emerging green technologies. Cadmium Indium (Gallium) Selenide CIGS. sample sizes. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Applications. The bandgap varies continuously with x from about 1.0 eV (for copper indium selenide) to about 1.7 eV (for copper gallium selenide). Zinc oxide can be doped with certain elements to enhance the intrinsic n-type conductivity of the semiconductor, or with divalent elements such as Mg, which increase or decrease the band gap due to differences in the crystalline structures such as zincite- or periclase-type structures, or nanorods. Your email address will not be published. Technology used in the photovoltaic industry cadmium-doped surface of the CIGS absorber layers with active! For validation purposes and should be left unchanged provides a high absorption coefficient, high temperature stability, and absorbed... A glass substrate with IBC structure and demonstrates a conversion efficiency of CdTe solar cells, from.! Revise the article that separates the electrons from the holes and allows them to generate an electrical current ( also... Crystalline grains of semiconductor materials gallium selenide and a trace amount of sodium salts a! 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