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High rate (~7 nm/s), atmospheric pressure deposition of ZnO front electrode for Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 thin‐film solar cells with efficiency beyond 15%
Author(s) -
Illiberi Andrea,
Grob Frank,
Frijters Corne,
Poodt Paul,
Ramachandra Ram,
Winands Hans,
Simor Marcel,
Bolt Pieter Jan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.2423
Subject(s) - materials science , copper indium gallium selenide solar cells , substrate (aquarium) , electrode , deposition (geology) , electrical resistivity and conductivity , thin film , optoelectronics , layer (electronics) , atmospheric pressure , atomic layer deposition , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical vapor deposition , solar cell , nanotechnology , chemistry , paleontology , oceanography , engineering , chromatography , sediment , electrical engineering , biology , geology
Undoped zinc oxide (ZnO) films have been grown on a moving glass substrate by plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition at atmospheric pressure. High deposition rates of ~7 nm/s are achieved at low temperature (200 °C) for a substrate speed from 20 to 60 mm/min. ZnO films are highly transparent in the visible range (90%). By a short (~minute) post‐deposition exposure to near‐ultraviolet light, a very low resistivity value of 1.6·10 −3 Ω cm for undoped ZnO is achieved, which is independent on the film thickness in the range from 180 to 1200 nm. The photo‐enhanced conductivity is stable in time at room temperature when ZnO is coated by an Al 2 O 3 barrier film, deposited by the industrially scalable spatial atomic layer deposition technique. ZnO and Al 2 O 3 films have been used as front electrode and barrier, respectively, in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells. An average efficiency of 15.4 ± 0.2% (15 cells) is obtained that is similar to the efficiency of CIGS reference cells in which sputtered ZnO:Al is used as electrode. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.