Open Access Nano Express

Field modulation in Na-incorporated Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) polycrystalline films influenced by alloy-hardening and pair-annihilation probabilities

Yonkil Jeong1†, Chae-Woong Kim2†, Dong-Won Park1, Seung Chul Jung2, Jongjin Lee1 and Hee-Sang Shim1*

Author Affiliations

1 Research Institute for Solar and Sustainable Energies (RISE), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), 261 Cheomdan-gwagiro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 500-712, South Korea

2 Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, 1110-9 Oryong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju 500-757, South Korea

For all author emails, please log on.

Nanoscale Research Letters 2011, 6:581 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-6-581

Published: 7 November 2011

Abstract

The influence of Na on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells was investigated. A gradient profile of the Na in the CIGS absorber layer can induce an electric field modulation and significantly strengthen the back surface field effect. This field modulation originates from a grain growth model introduced by a combination of alloy-hardening and pair-annihilation probabilities, wherein the Cu supply and Na diffusion together screen the driving force of the grain boundary motion (GBM) by alloy hardening, which indicates a specific GBM pinning by Cu and Na. The pair annihilation between the ubiquitously evolving GBMs has a coincident probability with the alloy-hardening event.

PACS: 88. 40. H-, 81. 10. Aj, 81. 40. Cd,

Keywords:
Cu(In,Ga)Se2; solar cells; grain growth model; alloy hardening; pair-annihilation