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Electronic and Chemical Phenomena at Cu(In, Ga)Se2/CdS Heterojunctions and Their Implications for Photovoltaic Devices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Dongxiang Liao  and
Angus Rockett
Dongxiang Liao
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 1304 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Angus Rockett
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 1304 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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Abstract

The surface chemical composition of Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) alloys and CIGS/CdS interfaces are characterized by photoelectron emission spectroscopy. The results show that there is a severe but shallow (1-2 atomic layers) Cu depletion at {112} surfaces of CuInSe2 epitaxial films, consistent with earlier results. The depletion is not due to the existence of ordered defect compounds, but likely a result of the reconstruction of polar CIGS surfaces. Cd was found incorporated into the top 1-2 atomic layers of Cu-poor surfaces of CIGS, which may explain the n-type surface inversion in finished devices. These results and others formed the basis of a numerical model of CIGS solar cells. It is argued from the experimental and simulation results that the performance of devices based on high Ga content alloys may be reduced by failure to dope the surface of CuGaSe2 sufficiently n-type. The effect of observed defect states on the energy gap is considered, in particular with respect to pinning of the Fermi level near the heterojunction. By contrast, devices based on high In-content alloys show strong surface inversion in CIGS/CdS heterojunctions, which is suggestive of an effect of Cd incorporation in the CIGS surface.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 763: Symposium B – Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics , 2003 , B5.23
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2003

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