Cadmium-free copper indium gallium diselenide hybrid solar cells comprising a 2-(4-biphenylyl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole buffer layer

Copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells are the most efficient thin film photovoltaic devices today. In this work, we investigate CIGS/organic hybrid solar cells comprising a semi-transparent metal top electrode and a wide band gap organic semiconductor as buffer layer. Depositing the organic semiconductor from solution, we fabricate Cd-free solar cells exhibiting about the same efficiency as their counterparts comprising CdS and significantly higher open-circuit voltages as compared to buffer-free devices. Although the organic molecules do not cover the CIGS surface homogeneously, their use enables prolonged charge carrier lifetimes according to impedance spectroscopy measurements.