Thin-film Cu(In,Ga)Se₂(CIGS) is used as the absorber in an all-thin-film solar cell for both conventional 1-sun and concentrator applications. The absorber fabrication process is represented by time-dependent profiles of elemental Cu, In, Ga, and Se fluxes. The Cu/(In+Ga) ratio determines the phase chemistry during growth whereas the Ga/(Ga+In) ratio determines the CIGS band gap profile. All film-growth processes enter the CIGS:Cu_xSe two-phase field where the Cu_xSe facilitates large grain growth. Characterization of cells under 1-sun illumination reveals world-record total-area performance of 17.1%. Improvements relative to previous cells are linked to decreased inter-diffusion of In and Ga within the absorber. Cell parameters include an open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 654 mV and short-circuit current (J_sc) of 33.9 mA/cm². A second cell was fabricated for operation under concentration. The 1-sun, direct-spectrum measurement yielded at 15.1%- efficient cell. Under 5- and 22-sun concentration, the cell improved to 16.5% and 17.2%, respectively. This achievement is significant in that it proves a compatibility of polycrystalline thin-film and concentrator technologies. Further optimization could yield 1-sun performance in excess of 18% and concentrator performance in excess of 20%. A path to this goal is outlined.

Date Published: 23 August 1995
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 2531, Optical Materials Technology for Energy Efficiency and Solar Energy Conversion XIV, (23 August 1995); doi: 10.1117/12.217333

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2531:
Optical Materials Technology for Energy Efficiency and Solar Energy Conversion XIV
Carl M. Lampert; Satyen K. Deb; Claes-Goeran Granqvist, Editor(s)