Performance enhancement of CIGS thin-film solar cells with a functional-window NiO thin layer

Abstract Cu(In1-χGaχ)Se2 (CIGS) films have been considered as promising materials for solar cell applications owing to high absorption coefficient, bandgap grading, flexibility, and high conversion efficiency. In particular, the bandgap grading has been widely researched as a back surface field effect to reduce the carrier recombination. Recently, the front surface field has been researched by the application of a transition metal oxide (TMO) to increase the power conversion efficiency (PCE). Among them, NiO is an outstanding TMO layer because of its wide bandgap (∼3.7 eV), stable cubic structure, the low electron affinity of 1.33–1.85 eV and p-type characteristics. Consequently, the application of the NiO layer has been researched on the CIGS solar cells as an effective electron blocking barrier, which is to suppress the carrier recombination. Even though much research has proceeded on the versatile properties of the NiO, there is rarely research to apply the NiO layer on the CIGS solar cells yet. In this study, we introduced the application of NiO layer deposition on the CIGS solar cell to improve the PCE. The NiO layer (20 nm) was deposited on the CIGS solar cell using the E-beam evaporator system at room temperature. We investigated the effect of the application of the p-NiO layer on the CIGS solar cells, comparing the efficiencies and dark J-V curves. These results are in good agreement with time-resolved photoluminescence measurements on the carrier lifetime. The PCE of the device with the p-NiO layer was measured as 16.35% and the PCE of the device without the p-NiO layer was measured as 15.81%. After the application of the p-NiO layer, we gained the improvement with 0.54% of the PCE.