Electrochemical synthesis of CuIn(1−x)GaxSe2 nanowires with controlled stoichiometry

Abstract We present a solution-based approach for fabrication of CuIn (1−x) Ga x Se 2 (CIGS) nanowires by electrodeposition method with stoichiometry close to the ideal one for photovoltaic applications. Fabrication of CIGS nanowires is based on a one-step electrodeposition to deposit CIGS nanowires into the nanometer-scale cylindrical pores of the anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template with molybdenum (Mo) thin-film deposited on the backside of the AAO as the counter electrode. A key to the commercialization of CIGS nanowires as active absorber layer for photovoltaic applications is to improve the composition control and quality of the CIGS nanowires. In this study, CIGS nanowires with close to the ideal stoichiometry and chalcopyrite nanocrystalline structure for photovoltaic applications were obtained by varying the deposition parameters such as deposition potential and electrolyte’s composition during electrodeposition and the annealing process after electrodeposition.