Impact of atmospheric species on copper indium gallium selenide solar cell stability: an overview

Mirjam Theelen

doi:10.1117/1.JPE.6.015501

25 February 2016 Impact of atmospheric species on copper indium gallium selenide solar cell stability: an overview

Mirjam Theelen

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Photonics for Energy, Vol. 6, Issue 1, 015501 (February 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.6.015501

Abstract

An overview of the measurement techniques and results of studies on the stability of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells and their individual layers in the presence of atmospheric species is presented: in these studies, Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells, their molybdenum back contact, and their ZnO:Al front contact were exposed to liquid water purged with gases from the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide (CO₂), oxygen (O₂), nitrogen (N₂), and air. The samples were analyzed before, during, and after exposure in order to define their stability under these conditions. The complete CIGS solar cells as well as the ZnO:Al front contact degraded rapidly when exposed to H₂O combined with CO₂, while they were relatively stable in H₂O purged with O₂ or N₂. This was caused by either degradation of the grain boundaries in the ZnO:Al film or by the dissolution of part of this film. Uncovered molybdenum films, on the other hand, oxidized rapidly in the presence of H₂O and O₂, while they were more stable in the presence of H₂O with N₂ and/or CO₂.

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Mirjam Theelen "Impact of atmospheric species on copper indium gallium selenide solar cell stability: an overview," Journal of Photonics for Energy 6(1), 015501 (25 February 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.6.015501

Published: 25 February 2016

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