ZnO/ZnS(O,OH)/Cu(In,Ga)Se/sub 2//Mo solar cell with 18.6% efficiency

Author

Contreras, M.A. ; Nakada, T. ; Hongo, M. ; Pudov, A.O. ; Sites, J.R.

Author_Institution

Nat. Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO, USA

Volume

1

fYear

2003

fDate

18-18 May 2003

Firstpage

570

Abstract

We report on recent enhancements to device performance leading to a certified total-area energy conversion efficiency of 18.6% for Cu(In,Ga)Se/sub 2/ solar cells that incorporate a ZnS(O,OH) buffer layer as an alternative to CdS. Along with information on device fabrication and layer properties, we provide a comparative device analysis between this type of solar cell and the slightly more efficient ZnO/CdS/Cu(In,Ga)Se/sub 2//Mo solar cell structure. This comparative study allows us to elucidate the areas for optimization in the quest for conversion efficiency above 20% in thin-film polycrystalline solar cells. It quantifies the gains in current generation due to superior collection at short wavelengths, as well as the somewhat lower voltage and infrared response.

Keywords

copper compounds; gallium compounds; indium compounds; molybdenum; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; zinc compounds; 18.6 percent; ZnO-ZnS(OOH)-Cu(InGa)Se/sub 2/-Mo; buffer layer; current generation; device fabrication; device performance; efficiency; infrared response; solar cell; total-area energy conversion efficiency;

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

1305348