Phototransistor Behavior in CIGS Solar Cells and the Effect of the Back Contact Barrier
In this paper, the impact of the back contact barrier on the performance of Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> solar cells is addressed. This effect is clearly visible at lower temperatures, but it also influences the fundamental parameters of a solar cell, such as open-circuit voltage, fill fac...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/18/4753 |
| _version_ | 1797553931147018240 |
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| author | Ricardo Vidal Lorbada Thomas Walter David Fuertes Marrón Dennis Muecke Tetiana Lavrenko Oliver Salomon Raymund Schaeffler |
| author_facet | Ricardo Vidal Lorbada Thomas Walter David Fuertes Marrón Dennis Muecke Tetiana Lavrenko Oliver Salomon Raymund Schaeffler |
| author_sort | Ricardo Vidal Lorbada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this paper, the impact of the back contact barrier on the performance of Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> solar cells is addressed. This effect is clearly visible at lower temperatures, but it also influences the fundamental parameters of a solar cell, such as open-circuit voltage, fill factor and the efficiency at normal operation conditions. A phototransistor model was proposed in previous works and could satisfactorily explain specific effects associated with the back contact barrier, such as the dependence of the saturated current in the forward bias on the illumination level. The effect of this contribution is also studied in this research in the context of metastable parameter drift, typical for Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> thin-film solar cells, as a consequence of different bias or light soaking treatments under high-temperature conditions. The impact of the back contact barrier on Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> thin-film solar cells is analyzed based on experimental measurements as well as numerical simulations with Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD). A barrier-lowering model for the molybdenum/Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> Schottky interface was proposed to reach a better agreement between the simulations and the experimental results. Thus, in this work, the phototransistor behavior is discussed further in the context of metastabilities supported by numerical simulations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:23:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-867489f5342247d19183bc1faa9682f2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:23:38Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-867489f5342247d19183bc1faa9682f22023-11-20T13:29:01ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732020-09-011318475310.3390/en13184753Phototransistor Behavior in CIGS Solar Cells and the Effect of the Back Contact BarrierRicardo Vidal Lorbada0Thomas Walter1David Fuertes Marrón2Dennis Muecke3Tetiana Lavrenko4Oliver Salomon5Raymund Schaeffler6Instituto de Energía Solar—ETSIT, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Avenida Complutense 30, 28040 Madrid, SpainInstitute of Mechatronics and Medical Engineering, Ulm University of Applied Sciences, Albert-Einstein-Allee 55, 89081 Ulm, GermanyInstituto de Energía Solar—ETSIT, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Avenida Complutense 30, 28040 Madrid, SpainInstitute of Mechatronics and Medical Engineering, Ulm University of Applied Sciences, Albert-Einstein-Allee 55, 89081 Ulm, GermanyInstitute of Mechatronics and Medical Engineering, Ulm University of Applied Sciences, Albert-Einstein-Allee 55, 89081 Ulm, GermanyZentrum für Sonnenenergie und Wasserstoff, Meitnerstr. 1, 70563 Stuttgart, GermanyNice Solar Energy GmbH, Alfred-Leikam-Str. 25, 74523 Schwäbisch Hall, GermanyIn this paper, the impact of the back contact barrier on the performance of Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> solar cells is addressed. This effect is clearly visible at lower temperatures, but it also influences the fundamental parameters of a solar cell, such as open-circuit voltage, fill factor and the efficiency at normal operation conditions. A phototransistor model was proposed in previous works and could satisfactorily explain specific effects associated with the back contact barrier, such as the dependence of the saturated current in the forward bias on the illumination level. The effect of this contribution is also studied in this research in the context of metastable parameter drift, typical for Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> thin-film solar cells, as a consequence of different bias or light soaking treatments under high-temperature conditions. The impact of the back contact barrier on Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> thin-film solar cells is analyzed based on experimental measurements as well as numerical simulations with Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD). A barrier-lowering model for the molybdenum/Cu (In, Ga) Se<sub>2</sub> Schottky interface was proposed to reach a better agreement between the simulations and the experimental results. Thus, in this work, the phototransistor behavior is discussed further in the context of metastabilities supported by numerical simulations.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/18/4753photovoltaicsthin-filmsCIGSback contactbarrierphototransistor |
| spellingShingle | Ricardo Vidal Lorbada Thomas Walter David Fuertes Marrón Dennis Muecke Tetiana Lavrenko Oliver Salomon Raymund Schaeffler Phototransistor Behavior in CIGS Solar Cells and the Effect of the Back Contact Barrier Energies photovoltaics thin-films CIGS back contact barrier phototransistor |
| title | Phototransistor Behavior in CIGS Solar Cells and the Effect of the Back Contact Barrier |
| title_full | Phototransistor Behavior in CIGS Solar Cells and the Effect of the Back Contact Barrier |
| title_fullStr | Phototransistor Behavior in CIGS Solar Cells and the Effect of the Back Contact Barrier |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phototransistor Behavior in CIGS Solar Cells and the Effect of the Back Contact Barrier |
| title_short | Phototransistor Behavior in CIGS Solar Cells and the Effect of the Back Contact Barrier |
| title_sort | phototransistor behavior in cigs solar cells and the effect of the back contact barrier |
| topic | photovoltaics thin-films CIGS back contact barrier phototransistor |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/18/4753 |
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