Researchers in South Korea have demonstrated a decrease temperature course of for bifacial copper, indium, selenium (CuInSe₂) solar cells with a rear-side effectivity of 8.44% and 15.30% on the entrance. The gadget has been developed for functions in tandem solar cells.
Researchers from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea introduced a brand new course of to make bifacial slim band copper, indium, selenium (CuInSe₂) solar cells. A clear conducting oxide (TCO) was used to allow bifacial operation in a decrease temperature course of that included a silver (Ag) alloy step.
The researchers selected to analyze copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) supplies, and CuInSe₂ (CIS) for bifacial solar cells, specifically, as a consequence of their slim bandgap and potential to be used in all-thin-film tandem perovskite solar cells, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), and agrivoltaics.
“In the realm of CIGS materials, CIS is particularly noteworthy. With a bandgap of about 1.0 eV, it’s a promising partner for a tandem solar cell with perovskite. This setup allows for a reduction in the bromine (Br) content in the perovskite layer, making CIS a valuable area for further investigation,” Dae-Hwan Kim, the analysis’s corresponding creator, informed pv magazine.
“Our approach was novel in several key aspects. We successfully minimized the use of silver by employing a thin 5 nm Ag layer, which not only maintained high device performance but also improved material cost efficiency,” mentioned Kim.
“Additionally, we optimized a low-temperature growth process that proved highly beneficial for the ITO/CIGS interface,” he went on to say, explaining that at diminished temperatures, the formation of “detrimental” amorphous gallium oxide (GaOx) on the rear interface was “significantly suppressed.”
“As a result, we were able to achieve exceptionally high-power output in the ~1.0 eV CIS category when measured under both rear and bifacial illumination,” Kim specified.
Indeed, the work resulted in a champion cell with a rear-side effectivity of 8.44% and 15.30% on the entrance.
In the research, samples had been fabricated with a 200 nm ITO layer on soda-lime glass, adopted by a 5 nm silver (Ag) layer, then the low gallium-doped CIS absorber. A modified multi-stage co-evaporation course of was employed to optimize the again interface of the absorber, which was confirmed by cross-sectional area emission scanning electron microscopy imaging.
The group optimized the low-temperature development course of, analyzing the standard of samples processed at 460, 420, and 390 C, each with and with out the silver alloy.
It mentioned the champion slim bandgap CIS with Ag-alloyed units on the rear aspect achieved 8.44% effectivity, with the entrance aspect registering 15.30%. The bifacial power era density (BPGD) was 23.1 mW/cm², in line with the analysis. The group claimed these are record outcomes.
Kim added that as a result of the staff was capable of fabricate bifacial CIS with out “significant difficulty,” the method and methodologies from the analysis may doubtless be utilized within the broader area of bifacial CIGS research.
The group concluded that the decrease deposition temperatures enhanced the rear-side efficiency, and that the research demonstrated the position of low-temperature processing, low Ga doping, and Ag alloying in suppressing provider recombination losses in CIS solar cells.
The work is detailed in “Highly Efficient Bifacial Narrow Bandgap Ag-CuInSe2 Solar Cells on ITO,” which seems in Advanced Energy Materials.
The group’s subsequent analysis focus is to make use of the high-efficiency slim bandgap CIS solar cells in bifacial perovskite-CIS tandem architectures. “By leveraging the optimized low-temperature process and rear-side enhancements, we aim to push the performance limits of bifacial tandem devices. In parallel, we are also applying these findings to antimony-based thin-film solar cells within our group, exploring their potential for scalable and efficient photovoltaic applications,” mentioned Kim.
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