Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Alexander Eslam, Roland Wuerz, Dirk Hauschild, Lothar Weinhardt, Wolfram Hempel, Michael Powalla, Clemens Heske
Summary: The influence of post-deposition treatments with NaF and KF on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cell absorbers was studied at different substrate temperatures. Both treatments significantly improved cell efficiency, with the highest conversion efficiency achieved with NaF PDT at a high temperature. KF treatment led to reduced efficiency at low temperature due to the formation of a Cu-Se secondary phase at the CIGSe surface.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Elizabeth Palmiotti, Sylvain Marsillac, Angus Rockett
Summary: This study compares and evaluates the metal halide treatments of CdTe films and CIGS, finding that CdTe films have lower manufacturing costs, while CIGS requires higher temperatures and lower rates to achieve high efficiency. Silver halides are beneficial for the transport of all species, while compounds containing gallium and indium may pose some issues. Copper compounds have low vapor pressure but exhibit high mobility in CIGS.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Deewakar Poudel, Benjamin Belfore, Tasnuva Ashrafee, Shankar Karki, Grace Rajan, Angus Rockett, Sylvain Marsillac
Summary: Post-deposition treatments with indium bromide vapor at 400 and 500 degrees Celsius lead to larger grains and higher conductivity in Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 thin films compared to simple annealing under selenium. These properties are attributed to a modification of elemental profiles, particularly for gallium and sodium.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Huyen Tran, Syed Dildar Haider Naqvi, Kihwan Kim, Ahreum Lee, Seungju Oh, Yasir Siddique, Asmat Ullah, Shah Syed Fawad Ali, Minwoo Park, Sungjun Hong, Sejin Ahn, Jihye Gwak, Inyoung Jeong
Summary: A facile fabrication strategy of highly efficient and stable wide-bandgap perovskites (PVSKs) was demonstrated through an organic halide surface treatment. The surface post-treatment resulted in the complete conversion of PVSK crystallinity, eliminating segregated secondary phases and reducing unreacted PbI2. The reconstructed PVSK showed enhanced photovoltaic performance and high stability, achieving a power conversion efficiency of 24.5% in a tandem device.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Algimantas Ivanauskas, Remigijus Ivanauskas, Ingrida Ancutiene
Summary: A study was conducted on the deposition of indium-incorporated copper selenide thin films on a glass substrate using the SILAR method. The films showed a mixture of compounds including Se, Cu0.87Se, In2Se3, and CuInSe2, with optical properties corresponding to copper selenide and indium selenide semiconductors.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Dong-Seok Shin, Tae-Ho Kim, Jeong-Eun Rah, Dohyeon Kim, Hye Jeong Yang, Se Byeong Lee, Young Kyung Lim, Jonghwi Jeong, Haksoo Kim, Dongho Shin, Jaeman Son
Summary: This study proposes a dose measurement system based on a flexible CIGS solar cell, demonstrating good dosimetric characteristics such as dose linearity, rate and energy independence, and field size output.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liting Tang, Xiaomin Wang, Xinxing Liu, Junjun Zhang, Shaoying Wang, Yuqi Zhao, Junbo Gong, Jianmin Li, Xudong Xiao
Summary: In this paper, a method for passivating interface and grain boundary defects in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is proposed by dissolving the passivation materials in mixed solvents of IPA and toluene. The performance parameters of PSCs are improved, resulting in an increased power conversion efficiency (PCE). Moreover, a 4-terminal perovskite/CIGS tandem device is achieved with a high PCE, demonstrating the potential of the mixed solvent passivation strategy in enhancing the efficiency and stability of PSCs.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
F. Giesl, C. Schubbert, P. Eraerds, S. Heise, R. Lechner, T. Dalibor, J. Parisi
Summary: In this study, the electrical transport across the valence band injection barrier at the interface between the Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 absorber layer and the Mo(Se,S)2 layer was investigated. The sulfur contents were varied to study their effects on the injection barrier. Experimental measurements and device simulations were used to determine the valence band offsets and understand the mechanisms at play at the interface.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Deewakar Poudel, Benjamin Belfore, Tasnuva Ashrafee, Elizabeth Palmiotti, Shankar Karki, Grace Rajan, Thomas Lepetit, Angus Rockett, Sylvain Marsillac
Summary: Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 thin films and devices were fabricated using a modified three-stage process, with a copper chloride vapor treatment introduced to enhance film properties. After recrystallization, films showed larger grains, but not all parameters of the solar cells were enhanced, resulting in only a 15% increase in device efficiency.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Stephan J. Heise, Hippolyte Hirwa, Marko Stoelzel, Thomas Dalibor, Joerg Ohland
Summary: This study investigates the origin of the N1 signature in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)(2) devices by systematically varying the individual layers of the cell stack. The results suggest that the N1 signature is caused by a transport barrier in the buffer/absorber region.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yuandong Liu, Yangzheng Li, Junlei Tang, Wenfeng Zhang, Bing Lin, Yaqiong Cao
Summary: In this study, a Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) quaternary target containing NaF was used to fabricate thin-film solar-cell devices on polyimide (PI) foils. Multiple metal layers were prepared on both sides of the PI substrate to improve the efficiency of the CIGS cells, and the annealing process was investigated. The Ti/Cr/Mo sandwich structure on PI foils improved the thermal budget as it withstands higher annealing temperature (520 degrees C) for a shorter duration (5 min). A 2-step annealing process and a high-temperature selenization process were used to enhance the integrity and elemental distribution of the absorber film. The fabricated CIGS cells achieved an average power conversion efficiency of 13.6%.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Himani Arora, Artur Erbe
Summary: The field of two-dimensional materials, particularly III-VI monochalcogenides like indium selenide and gallium selenide, has attracted significant interest due to their high intrinsic mobility and direct bandgap properties. However, their sensitivity to environmental influences and limited scalable synthesis methods have hindered their practical applications. Research has focused on improving device structures and developing effective encapsulation techniques to prevent degradation.
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Dong-Seok Shin, Tae-Ho Kim, Jeong-Eun Rah, Se Byeong Lee, Young Kyung Lim, Jonghwi Jeong, Haksoo Kim, Dongho Shin, Jaeman Son
Summary: The purpose of this study is to propose a novel flexible skin dosimeter based on a thin-film copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cell and evaluate its dosimetric characteristics. The CIGS solar cell dosimeter showed good performance in terms of dose measurement linearity, sampling rate effect, dose rate dependence, energy dependence, and field size output factor. It is a low-cost dosimeter that can be easily customized, providing advantages over other dosimeters.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Evandro Martin Lanzoni, Omar Ramirez, Himanshu Phirke, Amala Elizabeth, Harry Moenig, Alex Redinger
Summary: Alkali post-deposition treatments (PDTs) have been shown to improve the power conversion efficiency of thin-film solar cells, with potassium effectively diffusing into the bulk of epitaxial CIGSe absorber layers. The diffusion of potassium depends on the Cu content of the absorbers, with Cu-depleted films showing higher diffusion rates for K. These treatments also increase PL yield, suggesting passivation of defects or increased doping.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Michel Piliougine, Paula Sanchez-Firera, Giovanni Petrone, Francisco Jose Sanchez-Pacheco, Giovanni Spagnuolo, Mariano Sidrach-de-Cardona
Summary: The performance of four thin-film photovoltaic modules is analyzed after an initial stabilization period and an outdoor exposition, and their seasonal variations and degradation rates are examined and correlated to spectral changes. The results show that the a-Si:H module has the highest annual degradation rate, while the degradation of the CIGS module is relatively low.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Nikolaus Weinberger, David Stock, Jochen Mesle, Christian A. Kaufmann, Tobias Bertram, Tim Kodalle, Roland Wuerz, Daniel Huber, Andreas Zimmermann, Georg Strauss, Roman Lackner
Summary: This article presents a method for industrial roll-to-roll deposition of Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 thin films on stainless steel foil for use in flexible thin-film solar cells, achieving high conversion efficiency. The influence of different power settings of magnetron sputtering sources on gallium distribution and differences between static and R2R processes are studied.
IEEE JOURNAL OF PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Nikolaus Weinberger, Tim Kodalle, Tobias Bertram, Rene Gunder, Andreas Saxer, Roman Lackner, Georg N. Strauss, Christian A. Kaufmann
Summary: In this study, Rb, In, and Se were deposited at various substrate temperatures, with RbInSe2 crystal phase detectable at 350 degrees C. Crystallization of monoclinic RbInSe2 was observed at 215 degrees C on the sample grown at the lowest temperature. The morphology of the layers and the preferred crystal orientation of the RISe layer changed with increasing substrate temperature.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Natalia Maticiuc, Tim Kodalle, Bunyamin Umsur, Tobias Bertram, Robert Wenisch, Yajie Wang, Isheta Majumdar, Hasan A. Yetkin, Daniel Abou-Ras, Norbert Schafer, Christian A. Kaufmann, Rutger Schlatmann, Iver Lauermann
Summary: The study found that in co-evaporated CIGSe absorber layers treated with RbF, copper gradually depletes towards the surface, leading to changes such as gallium diffusion towards the surface. A higher copper content results in less surface-oriented gallium diffusion and less rubidium incorporation, forming a thinner RbInSe2 layer.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Bunyamin Umsur, Natalia Maticiuc, Tim Kodalle, Robert Wenisch, Isheta Majumdar, Yajie Wang, Hasan A. Yetkin, Tobias Bertram, Christian A. Kaufmann, Rutger Schlatmann, Iver Lauermann
Summary: This paper compares the properties of CdS/CIGSe and Zn(O,S)/CIGSe interfaces depending on the absorber composition and the application of an RbF post deposition treatment. It was found that Zn(O,S)/CIGSe interface is less sensitive to changes of the CIGSe composition and to the RbF-PDT compared to the CdS/CIGSe interface. Additionally, the study revealed a strong correlation of Cd diffusion and concentration of VCu in CIGSe before the PDT.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zengjun Chen, Tatjana Dedova, Nicolae Spalatu, Natalia Maticiuc, Marin Rusu, Atanas Katerski, Ilona Oja Acik, Thomas Unold, Malle Krunks
Summary: An efficient photocatalytic system based on ZnO nanorod/NiO core-shell heterostructure was developed, achieving a record methylene blue degradation efficiency of about 70%. The investigation on the chemical composition and band alignment at the ZnONR/NiO interface reveals the importance of optimizing these properties for enhanced catalytic activity, and the degradation mechanism of methylene blue was discussed.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Sinju Thomas, Tobias Bertram, Christian Kaufmann, Tim Kodalle, Jose A. Marquez Prieto, Hannes Hempel, Leo Choubrac, Wolfram Witte, Dimitrios Hariskos, Roland Mainz, Romain Carron, Jan Keller, Pablo Reyes-Figueroa, Reiner Klenk, Daniel Abou-Ras
Summary: In this study, the impacts of effective band-gap energy, electron diffusion length, and Ga/In gradient on the Gaussian broadening of parameters describing the EQE onset of thin-film solar cells were evaluated. The results show that the total standard deviation sigma(total) can be separated into contributions from these material properties and a residual component sigma(residual). It is demonstrated that a flat band-gap with no compositional gradient in the CIGSe absorber is essential to obtain the lowest sigma(total) values and thus result in lower recombination losses and gains in V-oc.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Marko Jost, Eike Koehnen, Amran Al-Ashouri, Tobias Bertram, Spela Tomsic, Artiom Magomedov, Ernestas Kasparavicius, Tim Kodalle, Benjamin Lipovsek, Vytautas Getautis, Rutger Schlatmann, Christian A. Kaufmann, Steve Albrecht, Marko Topic
Summary: A monolithic perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cell with a certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.2% is demonstrated. The optimal device stack is determined using optical simulations, and the energy yield is evaluated. The results show the high potential of perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells in significantly enhancing energy output.
ACS ENERGY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ivona Kafedjiska, Igal Levine, Artem Musiienko, Natalia Maticiuc, Tobias Bertram, Amran Al-Ashouri, Christian A. Kaufmann, Steve Albrecht, Rutger Schlatmann, Iver Lauermann
Summary: The performance of five hole-transporting layers (HTLs) in single-junction perovskite and Cu(In, Ga)Se-2 (CIGSe)-perovskite tandem solar cells was investigated. Among them, NiOx:Cu+SAM was found to be the most suitable HTL for the monolithic CIGSe-perovskite tandem devices. It exhibited superior interfacial charge-carrier dynamics and achieved a power-conversion efficiency of 23.4%, V-oc of 1.72V, and a fill factor of 71%.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
I Kafedjiska, G. Farias Basulto, F. Ruske, N. Maticiuc, T. Bertram, C. A. Kaufmann, R. Schlatmann, I Lauermann
Summary: We propose monolithic copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (Cu(In,Ga)Se-2, CIGSe)-perovskite tandem solar cells with NiOx:Cu as a hole-transporting layer (HTL) transferred in air or N-2. The tandem with N-2-transferred NiOx:Cu + SAM achieves a champion efficiency of 23.2%, V-oc of 1.69 V, and FF of 78.3%. Air-transferred NiOx:Cu + SAM samples exhibit V-oc and FF losses, while those without SAM have heavy shunts. Exposure to air leads to loss in Ni2+ species, changes in NiOx:Cu's work function and valence band maxima, negatively impacting the tandems' V-oc and FF. Various morphological defects are detected in tandems with poor performance, originating from defects in the bottom CIGSe cell or cracking/delaminating of the perovskite top cell. The NiOx:Cu + SAM HTL bi-layer can decouple the growth of the top device from the rough, defect-rich and defect-tolerant bottom device, enabling high-performing devices.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Mykhailo Koltsov, Robert Krautmann, Atanas Katerski, Natalia Maticiuc, Malle Krunks, Ilona Oja Acik, Nicolae Spalatu
Summary: We conducted a systematic investigation on the effects of two-step post-deposition treatments (PDTs) on TiO2 buffer layers for Sb2Se3 photovoltaics. Our study found that vacuum annealing can effectively reduce carbon species in TiO2 films and improve device performance through a subsequent air annealing step.
FARADAY DISCUSSIONS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Sri Hari Bharath Vinoth Kumar, Josefa Ibaceta-Jana, Natalia Maticuic, Krystian Kowiorski, Matthias Zelt, Ulrich Gernert, Ludwika Lipinska, Bernd Szyszka, Rutger Schlatmann, Uwe Hartmann, Ruslan Muydinov
Summary: A novel atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) technique was utilized for reducing graphene oxide films and synthesizing carbon nanomaterials, demonstrating significant potential in versatile processing of carbon materials.
C-JOURNAL OF CARBON RESEARCH
(2021)