A new method of generating Ga slope in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 film by controlling Se content in a multi-stacked precursor

Abstract An appropriate Ga slope is required in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) film to enhance the cell performance of CIGS thin-film solar cells. In the conventional three-stage-co-evaporation process, the Ga slope was obtained by controlling Ga/In flux during deposition process. However, in two-step process, where a precursor was deposited first and the annealed in a Se environment for mass production, the desirable Ga slope was not achievable with the Ga/In flux control. We observed that the Ga/(Ga+In) ratio was nearly flat in CIGS film for Se-rich precursor and the ratio was nearly zero at surface and very high on bottom side of CISG film for Se-deficient precursor. We were able to generate a CIOGS film with a Ga non-zero Ga surface and desired slope in the bulk by devising a precursor with Se-rich layer on top and Se-deficient layer on bottom, resulting in the enhancement of Cell performance.