Fabrication of semi-transparent Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells aided by Bromine etching

in Thin Solid Films (2023)

Vacuum-Healing of Grain Boundaries in Sodium-Doped CuInSe2 Solar Cell Absorbers

in Advanced Energy Materials (2023), 2204183

Current Status of Bottom-Up Fabrication Approaches for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Micro-Concentrator Solar Cells

in 17TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONCENTRATOR PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS (CPV-17) (2022, September 02)

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells have reached a record efficiency of 23.35% and are established as a renewable energy technology. However, future large-scale fabrication might be hindered by the availability and ... [more ▼]

Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells have reached a record efficiency of 23.35% and are established as a renewable energy technology. However, future large-scale fabrication might be hindered by the availability and high cost of raw materials. To reduce the amount of solar cell material, strong efforts have been devoted to the development of the micro-concentrator photovoltaics concept for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar cells, which combines the well established concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) technology with the miniaturization of the solar cells. In this work, we review different bottom-up approaches for the fabrication of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 micro solar cells, that potentially allow the reduction of raw material, and we present the latest results on a magnetron sputtering based method for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 micro solar cells. [less ▲]

Bulk and surface characterisation techniques of solar absorbers: general discussion

in Faraday Discussions (2022)

The impact of strain on growth mode in chemical vapor deposited mono- and few-layer MoS2

in AIP Adv. (2022), 12(6), 065010

The development of high-quality chemical vapor-deposited mono- and few-layer MoS2 is of high relevance for future applications in functional devices. Consequently, a detailed understanding of the growth ... [more ▼]

The development of high-quality chemical vapor-deposited mono- and few-layer MoS2 is of high relevance for future applications in functional devices. Consequently, a detailed understanding of the growth mode and the parameters affecting it is important. Here, we show for the case of mono- and few-layer MoS2 grown on Muscovite mica, how strain and temperature impact the growth mode. We show how misleading the determination of the number of MoS2 layers is, solely based on Raman spectroscopy due to the occurrence of strain and changes in the growth mode. A combination of atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and ab initio calculations reveal that that the growth at 500 dgree C synthesis temperature exhibits a strained layer-by-layer growth of up to three mono-layers, whereas at 700 degree C, a strain release occurs and layer-by-layer growth is confined to the first mono-layer only. We relate the occurrence of strain to the formation of gas bubbles below the MoS2 film, escaping the mica sheets during high temperature synthesis. Our analysis shows that mica substrates can be used to study strain in 2D materials without the need to apply external stress and that a detailed knowledge of the MoS2 morphology is necessary to correctly interpret the Raman results. [less ▲]

Post-deposition annealing and interfacial atomic layer deposition buffer layers of Sb2Se3/CdS stacks for reduced interface recombination and increased open-circuit voltages

in Progress in Photovoltaics (2022)

Waste- and Cd-Free Inkjet-Printed Zn(O,S) Buffer for Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 Thin-Film Solar Cells

in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (2021), 13

Chemical instability at chalcogenide surfaces impacts chalcopyrite devices well beyond the surface

in Nature Communications (2020)

Continuous-wave laser annealing of metallic layers for CuInSe2 solar cell applications: effect of preheating treatment on grain growth

in RSC Advances (2020)

Thin-film (Sb,Bi)2Se3 Semiconducting Layers with Tunable Band Gaps Below 1 eV for Photovoltaic Applications

in Physical Review Applied (2020), 14