EX-SITU AND IN-SITU SELENIZATION OF COPPER-INDIUM AND COPPER-BORON THIN FILMS

Authors

Rodney J. Soukup, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Natale J. Ianno, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Chad Kamler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Martin Diaz, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Shuchi Sharma, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
James Huguenin-Love, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jiri Olejnicek, University of Nebraska - Kearney

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2008

Comments

33rd IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2008. PVSC '08. Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/PVSC.2008.4922546 Publication Year: 2008 , Page(s): 1 - 6
Copyright 2008 IEEE. Used by permission.

Abstract

It has recently been established that the ideal bandgap for terrestrial photovoltaics is 1.37 eV and the bandgap for CulnSe2 is only around 1.04 eV. Thus, a larger bandgap is needed. However, neither the substitution of Ga nor of AI has made a high efficiency solar cell absorber with a band gap of 1.37 eV possible. B, an even smaller atom, should require less atomic substitution than either Ga or AI to achieve a wider bandgap. In order to fabricate a thin film of Culn_xB_1-xSe₂ (CIBS), Cu, In and B were deposited from a variety of sputtering targets which were pure Cu, In, and B; a Cu_.45ln_.55; and a Cu₃B₂ target. Films were deposited simultaneously and sequentially. After deposition these films were post selenized in another vacuum chamber. Analysis of these films was accomplished using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). With the difficulties encountered, materials were also deposited in a selenium atmosphere.