Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Takahito Nishimura, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takayuki Negami, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: By controlling the Mg content in sputtered Zn1-xMgxO:Al transparent conductive oxide, the conduction band minimum difference (Delta EC-TA) between the CIGSSe absorber and TCO layer is adjusted to enhance the conversion efficiency.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: In this study, the total band alignment parameters in CIGSSe solar cells were optimized theoretically and experimentally. The appropriate values of CBO, Delta EC-TA, and Delta EC-TB were determined for the selections of buffer and TCO materials, leading to enhanced photovoltaic performances.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Takahito Nishimura, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takayuki Negami, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: The conduction band offset values of flexible Cd-free solar cells with sputtered Zn0.88Mg0.12O:Al buffer and sputtered Zn1-xMgxO buffer were estimated, and it was found that adjusting the Mg content of the buffer can optimize the cell performance.
ACS APPLIED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Takahito Nishimura, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: This study investigates the structure and sample position effects on the performance of flexible, Cd-free, and all-dry process Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ (CIGSSe) solar cells on stainless steel substrates. The results show that the sample position plays a vital role in improving the cell performance, with a deviation from material targets leading to enhanced photovoltaic efficiency.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Ahmad Khayami, Ali A. Orouji
Summary: This study explores the potential of using zinc indium sulfide (Zn,In)S as a replacement for the conventional zinc oxysulfide Zn(O,S) buffer layer in Cu(In,Ga)Se-2(CIGS) solar cells. By optimizing the indium content, gallium concentration, and conduction band offset (CBO), the efficiency of the Cu(In,Ga)Se-2/(Zn,In)S cell can be improved. The results show that the CuIn0.6Ga0.4Se2/Zn0.9In0.1S junction with a small positive CBO exhibits enhanced fill factor (FF), open-circuit voltage (V-oc), and external quantum efficiency (EQE) values, leading to a higher conversion efficiency compared to the conventional CIGS/Zn(O,S) cell.
EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL PLUS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mingrui He, Jialiang Huang, Jianjun Li, Jun Sung Jang, Umesh P. Suryawanshi, Chang Yan, Kaiwen Sun, Jialin Cong, Yu Zhang, Henner Kampwerth, Mahesh P. Suryawanshi, Jinhyeok Kim, Martin A. Green, Xiaojing Hao
Summary: In this study, the performance of kesterite CZTSSe solar cell was significantly improved by incorporating small amounts of Ge and Cd into the absorber, reducing nonradiative recombination and enhancing carrier collection efficiency. The combination of Ge and Cd incorporation led to higher open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density, and fill factor, resulting in a high conversion efficiency of 11.6%. This research highlights the importance of multiple cation incorporation strategy for systematically manipulating the opto-electronic properties of kesterite materials.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Stephen Campbell, Guillaume Zoppi, Leon Bowen, Pietro Maiello, Vincent Barrioz, Neil S. Beattie, Yongtao Qu
Summary: Improving the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of CZTSSe solar cells has been challenging due to defects at the absorber/buffer interface. This study introduces a hybrid Cd/In dual buffer layer that leads to an increase in PCE compared to the standard CdS buffer layer.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Takahito Nishimura, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takayuki Negami, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: In this study, flexible, Cd-free, and all-dry process Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)(2) (CIGSSe) solar cells on stainless steel (SUS) substrates were developed using CIGSSe absorbers fabricated in a real production line. The oxidized surface of the absorbers after air-annealing process improved the photovoltaic performances of the solar cells by reducing carrier recombination rates and improving interface and near-surface qualities. The achieved conversion efficiency of the CIGSSe solar cell on SUS substrate was 16.7%, indicating its potential for Lab-to-Fab transition.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Oana Cojocaru-Miredin, Elaheh Ghorbani, Mohit Raghuwanshi, Xiaowei Jin, Dipak Pandav, Jens Keutgen, Reinhard Schneider, Dagmar Gerthsen, Karsten Albe, Roland Scheer
Summary: Research has shown that intense sulphurization processes in Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 thin-film solar cells, combined with Ga-grading, can lead to improved electrical properties of the buffer/absorber heterojunction by reducing p-doping and altering the band diagram. This process results in the formation of a S-rich compound at the absorber surface, ultimately offering new possibilities for synthesizing high-performance Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)(2) solar cells.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Van Ben Chu, Daniel Siopa, Alice Debot, Damilola Adeleye, Mohit Sood, Alberto Lomuscio, Michele Melchiorre, Jerome Guillot, Nathalie Valle, Brahime El Adib, Jonathan Rommelfangen, Phillip J. Dale
Summary: Chemical bath methods for growing thin film semiconductors produce a lot of waste solvent and chemicals. This study successfully replaced the toxic chemical bath deposited CdS buffer layer with a benign inkjet-printed and annealed Zn(O,S) layer, greatly reducing solvent and chemical usage. The wetting and final performance of the Zn(O,S) layer on CIGS can be controlled by various factors, with the best device efficiency reaching 13.5% through optimization.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
JiaYong Zhang, Bin Yao, Zhanhui Ding, Yongfeng Li, Ting Wang, Chunkai Wang, Jia Liu, Ding Ma, Dongxu Zhang
Summary: A CuSe intermediate layer is added between CZTSSe and Mo electrode to reduce carrier recombination and improve power conversion efficiency. By optimizing the thickness of CuSe intermediate layer, the power conversion efficiency is increased from 7.52% to 10.09%. The improvement in power conversion efficiency is mainly attributed to the enhancement in filling factor, short-circuit current density, and open-circuit voltage.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jakapan Chantana, Bobur Ergashev, Yu Kawano, Yukiko Kamikawa, Shogo Ishizuka, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: CIGSe solar cells were fabricated on SLG substrates with the structure of Al/Ni/sputtered Zn(0.88)Mg(0.12)O:Al TCO/sputtered Zn1-xMgxO 2nd buffer/CdS 1st buffer/CIGSe/Mo/SLG. The impact of CBO2 between CIGSe absorber and Zn1-xMgxO 2nd buffer on cell performance and carrier recombination was investigated experimentally and theoretically. The optimization of CBO2 reduced carrier recombination, improved band bending, and increased the conversion efficiency up to 20.0%. With an antireflective coating layer, the CIGSe solar cell achieved a conversion efficiency of 21.1% with the optimized CBO2.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Sunil Suresh, David J. Rokke, Amandine A. Drew, Essam Alruqobah, Rakesh Agrawal, Alexander R. Uhl
Summary: This article reviews the extrinsic doping concepts for CIGSSe-type absorbers fabricated by ink-based deposition routes, compares the performance of select high-efficiency ink-based devices, and offers an outlook for future process development. It suggests that the mechanisms of ink-based absorbers are fundamentally different from vacuum-based processes and require further investigation.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Applied
Mahisha Amarasinghe, David Albin, Darius Kuciauskas, John Moseley, Craig L. Perkins, Wyatt K. Metzger
Summary: The longer lifetimes of CdSeTe semiconductors are attributed to their superior intragrain lifetime, extremely low grain boundary recombination, and greater Te4+ interfacial presence compared to CdTe.
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jakapan Chantana, Bobur Ergashev, Yu Kawano, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: By optimizing the conduction band minimum difference and the total band alignment between different layers, the photovoltaic performance of CIGSSe solar cells can be improved.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yu Kawano, Jakapan Chantana, Takahito Nishimura, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: By utilizing double-graded [Ga]/([Ga] + [In]) (GGI) profiles and CuInSe2 phase separation technology, flexible CIGSe solar cells on stainless steel substrates have achieved enhanced photovoltaic performance.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Taichi Ishida, Takahito Nishimura, Jakapan Chantana, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Yu Kawano, Takayuki Negami, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: Aluminum-doped indium zinc magnesium oxide films with a tunable conduction band structure were developed via room temperature deposition. These films exhibit high Hall mobility and low carrier density due to the introduction of a small amount of aluminum oxide. Furthermore, the addition of magnesium oxide allows for the control of the optical bandgap while maintaining a constant ionization energy.
PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI A-APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Takahito Nishimura, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takayuki Negami, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: In this study, flexible, Cd-free, and all-dry process Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)(2) (CIGSSe) solar cells on stainless steel (SUS) substrates were developed using CIGSSe absorbers fabricated in a real production line. The oxidized surface of the absorbers after air-annealing process improved the photovoltaic performances of the solar cells by reducing carrier recombination rates and improving interface and near-surface qualities. The achieved conversion efficiency of the CIGSSe solar cell on SUS substrate was 16.7%, indicating its potential for Lab-to-Fab transition.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Takahito Nishimura, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: This study investigates the structure and sample position effects on the performance of flexible, Cd-free, and all-dry process Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)₂ (CIGSSe) solar cells on stainless steel substrates. The results show that the sample position plays a vital role in improving the cell performance, with a deviation from material targets leading to enhanced photovoltaic efficiency.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: In this study, the total band alignment parameters in CIGSSe solar cells were optimized theoretically and experimentally. The appropriate values of CBO, Delta EC-TA, and Delta EC-TB were determined for the selections of buffer and TCO materials, leading to enhanced photovoltaic performances.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Jakapan Chantana, Kota Takeguchi, Yu Kawano, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: The detailed balance limit of perovskite/Si tandem solar cells with different configurations was calculated, and it was found that the spectral variation has a significant impact on the efficiency. Choosing appropriate bandgap values can lead to higher efficiencies.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Takahito Nishimura, Kento Nakaji, Jakapan Chantana, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Yu Kawano, Takayuki Negami, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: In this study, a p-type Nb-doped MoS2 film was developed under a H2S/Ar ambient and applied to chalcogenide thin-film solar cells. By adjusting the compositional ratio of Nb and Mo, the surface roughness and growth rate of the film were changed, as well as the conductivity type. Adding Nb atoms to the MoS2 film increased the carrier density and changed the conductivity type, resulting in improved performance of the chalcogenide solar cells.
PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Crystallography
Dwinanri Egyna, Satoru Ito, Takahito Nishimura, Akira Yamada
Summary: The importance of positive band offset at the p-n interface of heterojunction thin-film solar cells is emphasized in this study. A new alternative transparent conductive oxide material, Zn-Ge-O thin-film, is investigated as an alternative n-type layer for chalcopyrite solar cells. The film exhibits low electron affinity and stable valence band maximum, showing promising results for future applications.
CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tomohiro Ito, Takahito Nishimura, Jakapan Chantana, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Yu Kawano, Takayuki Negami, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: The usefulness of silver (Ag)-doping in Cu-2(Sn,Ge)S-3 (CTGS) solar cells is demonstrated in this study. It is revealed that Ag-doping promotes grain growth of CTGS thin films. The results show that an appropriate amount of Ag-dopant suppresses undesirable defects and reduces nonradiative recombination in the Ag-doped CTGS films. Moreover, Ag-doping mainly improves the short-circuit current density and open-circuit voltage of CTGS solar cell devices. Finally, a 3.2%-efficient Ag-doped CTGS solar cell is obtained at a specific [Ag]/([Ag] + [Cu]) ratio. These findings are believed to contribute to achieving the highest efficiency for CTGS solar cells.
PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI-RAPID RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jakapan Chantana, Bobur Ergashev, Yu Kawano, Yukiko Kamikawa, Shogo Ishizuka, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: CIGSe solar cells were fabricated on SLG substrates with the structure of Al/Ni/sputtered Zn(0.88)Mg(0.12)O:Al TCO/sputtered Zn1-xMgxO 2nd buffer/CdS 1st buffer/CIGSe/Mo/SLG. The impact of CBO2 between CIGSe absorber and Zn1-xMgxO 2nd buffer on cell performance and carrier recombination was investigated experimentally and theoretically. The optimization of CBO2 reduced carrier recombination, improved band bending, and increased the conversion efficiency up to 20.0%. With an antireflective coating layer, the CIGSe solar cell achieved a conversion efficiency of 21.1% with the optimized CBO2.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Yusuke Nakamura, Jakapan Chantana, Kota Takeguchi, Yu Kawano, Takahito Nishimura, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: Performance ratio and degradation rate of different types of silicon-based photovoltaic modules were studied after 20 years of exposure at an outdoor site in Japan. The results showed that the performance ratio of multi-crystalline silicon module was inversely proportional to ambient temperature, while that of amorphous silicon and tandem modules was positively proportional to ambient temperature. The amorphous silicon module had the highest degradation rate, followed by the tandem module. However, with longer exposure time, the degradation rate of each type of module decreased, indicating increased stability. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
RENEWABLE ENERGY FOCUS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Jakapan Chantana, Yu Kawano, Takahito Nishimura, Abdurashid Mavlonov, Takayuki Negami, Takashi Minemoto
Summary: The conduction band offset values of flexible Cd-free solar cells with sputtered Zn0.88Mg0.12O:Al buffer and sputtered Zn1-xMgxO buffer were estimated, and it was found that adjusting the Mg content of the buffer can optimize the cell performance.
ACS APPLIED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2022)