IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natene/v9y2024i4d10.1038_s41560-024-01472-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

High-concentration silver alloying and steep back-contact gallium grading enabling copper indium gallium selenide solar cell with 23.6% efficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Keller

    (Uppsala University)

  • Klara Kiselman

    (Uppsala University)

  • Olivier Donzel-Gargand

    (Uppsala University)

  • Natalia M. Martin

    (Uppsala University)

  • Melike Babucci

    (Uppsala University)

  • Olle Lundberg

    (Evolar AB (now First Solar European Technology Center AB))

  • Erik Wallin

    (Evolar AB (now First Solar European Technology Center AB))

  • Lars Stolt

    (Uppsala University)

  • Marika Edoff

    (Uppsala University)

Abstract

Chalcopyrite-based solar cells have reached an efficiency of 23.35%, yet further improvements have been challenging. Here we present a 23.64% certified efficiency for a (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se2 solar cell, achieved through the implementation of a series of strategies. We introduce a relatively high amount of silver ([Ag]/([Ag] + [Cu]) = 0.19) into the absorber and implement a ‘hockey stick’-like gallium profile with a high concentration of Ga close to the molybdenum back contact and a lower, constant concentration in the region closer to the CdS buffer layer. This kind of elemental profile minimizes lateral and in-depth bandgap fluctuations, reducing losses in open-circuit voltage. In addition, the resulting bandgap energy is close to the local optimum of 1.15 eV. We apply a RbF post-deposition treatment that leads to the formation of a Rb–In–Se phase, probably RbInSe2, passivating the absorber surface. Finally, we discuss future research directions to reach 25% efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Keller & Klara Kiselman & Olivier Donzel-Gargand & Natalia M. Martin & Melike Babucci & Olle Lundberg & Erik Wallin & Lars Stolt & Marika Edoff, 2024. "High-concentration silver alloying and steep back-contact gallium grading enabling copper indium gallium selenide solar cell with 23.6% efficiency," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 9(4), pages 467-478, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:9:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1038_s41560-024-01472-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-024-01472-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-024-01472-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41560-024-01472-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:9:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1038_s41560-024-01472-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.