Flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se/sub 2/ solar cell for space applications

Author

Neisser, Axel ; Kaufmann, Christian A. ; Kroon, Martin A. ; Klenk, Reiner ; Scheer, Roland

Author_Institution

Hahn-Meitner-Inst., Berlin, Germany

Volume

1

fYear

2003

fDate

18-18 May 2003

Firstpage

458

Abstract

Light weight, flexible, thin film solar cell modules are an attractive alternative to more established space PV technologies. In a research cooperation, the Hahn-Meitner- Institut and Dutch Space are currently developing a Cu(In,Ga)Se/sub 2/ based thin film solar cell on a flexible titanium substrate. Absorber layer preparation is based on the three-stage co-evaporation recipe combined with a new optical in-situ process control (diffuse laser light scattering). Small area AM 1.5 efficiencies of 16.5% (glass substrate) and 15.0% (titanium foil) could be reached without antireflection coating. On a large area (20 cm) an efficiency of 10.2% has been achieved. The lower efficiency with respect to small cells is mainly due to localized leakage currents, infrared thermography is applied in order to study effects of layer non-uniformity on thin film solar cell devices. Arrays of small area cells have been prepared for investigating spatial inhomogeneities of PV-parameters across 5/spl times/5 cm/sup 2/ Ti-foil substrates.

Keywords

aerospace instrumentation; copper compounds; gallium compounds; indium compounds; infrared imaging; leakage currents; semiconductor growth; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; ternary semiconductors; vacuum deposition; 10.2 percent; 15.0 percent; 16.5 percent; Cu(InGa)Se/sub 2/; absorber layer; antireflection coating; diffuse laser light scattering; flexible titanium substrate; infrared thermography; layer nonuniformity; localized leakage current; optical in-situ process control; solar cell; space application; spatial inhomogeneity; three-stage co-evaporation;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 2003. Proceedings of 3rd World Conference on

Conference_Location

Osaka, Japan

Print_ISBN

4-9901816-0-3

Type

conf

Filename

1305319