Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T01:37:16.148Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Optical and Physical Characterization of Cu2-xSe Thin Films for Real Time Spectroscopic Ellipsometry on Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based Photovoltaic Devices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

James D Walker
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Toledo, Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Toledo, Ohio, United States
Himal Khatri
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Toledo, Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Toledo, Ohio, United States
Scott Little
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Toledo, Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Toledo, Ohio, United States
Vikash Ranjan
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Toledo, Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Toledo, Ohio, United States
Robert Collins
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Toledo, Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Toledo, Ohio, United States
Sylvain Marsillac
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Toledo, Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization, Toledo, Ohio, United States
Get access

Abstract

In situ, real time spectroscopic ellipsometry (RTSE) has been used to study the growth processes and optical properties of Cu2-xSe - an important binary compound in the fabrication of high efficiency copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic devices. It was found that the high surface roughness of the Cu2-xSe layers necessitated a “graded” optical model in order to extract meaningful dielectric functions at both 550 °C and room temperature. The optical model was verified at room temperature against SEM micrographs and reflectance measurements carried out ex situ. The growth temperature dielectric functions presented in this study are expected to allow for a greater level of control and understanding of the so-called 2- and 3-stage processes for CIGS fabrication in which a Cu2-xSe phase, present at the CIGS grain boundaries, acts as a fluxing agent for the growth of photovoltaic quality CIGS. Real time optical feedback via RTSE combined with the growth temperature dielectric functions presented here could play an important role in improving material fabrication on both the laboratory and industrial scales.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Repins, I. Contreras, M. A. Egaas, B. DeHart, C. Scharf, J. Perkins, C. L. To, B. and Noufi, R., Prog. Photovolt. 16, 235 (2008).Google Scholar
2 Tuttle, J. R. Albin, D. S. and Noufi, R. Solar Cells 30, 21 (1991).Google Scholar
3 Klenk, R. Walter, T. Schock, H-W. and Cahen, D. Adv. Mat. 5, 114 (1993).Google Scholar
4 Bikkulova, N. N. Danilkin, S. A. Fuess, H. Yadrovski, E. L. Beskrovny, A. I. Skomorokhov, A. N., Yagafarova, Z. A. and Asylguzhina, G. N. Crystallography Reports 48, 370 (2003).10.1134/1.1578116Google Scholar
5 Ohtani, T. Tachibana, Y. Ogura, J. Miyake, T. Okada, Y. and Yokota, Y. J. Alloys and Comp. 279, 136 (1998).Google Scholar
6 Walker, J. D. Khatri, H. Ranjan, V. Li, Jian, Collins, R. W. and Marsillac, S. Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 141908 (2009).Google Scholar
7 Walker, J. D. Khatri, H. Ranjan, V. Little, S. Zartman, R. Collins, R. W. and Marsillac, S. Proceedings of the 34th IEEE Photovolt. Spec. Conf., Philadelphia, PA, 2009 (in press).Google Scholar
8 Chakrabarti, D. J. and Laughlin, D. E. Bull. Alloy Phase Diag. 2, 305 (1981).Google Scholar