Thickness Effect of Al-Doped ZnO Window Layer on Damp-Heat Stability of CuInGaSe2 Solar Cells

F. J. Pern; L. Mansfield; C. DeHart; S. H. Glick; F. Yan; R. Noufi

doi:10.1109/pvsc.2011.6186527

Thickness Effect of Al-Doped ZnO Window Layer on Damp-Heat Stability of CuInGaSe2 Solar Cells

F. J. Pern, L. Mansfield, C. DeHart, S. H. Glick, F. Yan, R. Noufi

Materials Science

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

14 Scopus Citations

Abstract

We investigated the damp heat (DH) stability of CuInGaSe ₂ (CIGS) solar cells as a function of thickness of the Al-doped ZnO (AZO) window layer from the "standard" 0.12 μm to a modest 0.50 μm over an underlying 0.10-μm intrinsic ZnO buffer layer. The CIGS cells were prepared with external electrical contact using fine Au wire to the tiny "standard" Ni/Al (0.05 μm/3 μm) metal grid contact pads. Bare cell coupons and sample sets encapsulated in a specially designed, Al-frame test structure with an opening for moisture ingress control using a TPT backsheet were exposed to DH at 85°C and 85% relative humidity, and characterized by current-voltage (I-V), quantum efficiency (QE), and (electrochemical) impedance spectroscopy (ECIS). The results show that bare cells exhibited rapid degradation within 50-100 h, accompanied by film wrinkling and delamination and corrosion of Mo and AlNi grid, regardless of AZO thickness. In contrast, the encapsulated cells did not show film wrinkling, delamination, and Mo corrosion after 168 h DH exposure; but the trend of efficiency degradation rate showed a weak correlation to the AZO thickness.

Original language	American English
Pages	2798-2803
Number of pages	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/pvsc.2011.6186527 https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2011.6186527
State	Published - 2011
Event	37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2011 - Seattle, WA, United States Duration: 19 Jun 2011 → 24 Jun 2011

Conference

Conference	37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2011
Country/Territory	United States
City	Seattle, WA
Period	19/06/11 → 24/06/11

Bibliographical note

See NREL/CP-5200-50682 for preprint

NREL Publication Number

NREL/CP-5200-55751

Access to Document

Cite this

Pern, F. J., Mansfield, L., DeHart, C., Glick, S. H., Yan, F., & Noufi, R. (2011). Thickness Effect of Al-Doped ZnO Window Layer on Damp-Heat Stability of CuInGaSe2 Solar Cells. 2798-2803. Paper presented at 37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2011, Seattle, WA, United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/pvsc.2011.6186527, https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2011.6186527

@conference{d30a794f0f9d44129b492a5002cdaee8,

title = "Thickness Effect of Al-Doped ZnO Window Layer on Damp-Heat Stability of CuInGaSe2 Solar Cells",

abstract = "We investigated the damp heat (DH) stability of CuInGaSe 2 (CIGS) solar cells as a function of thickness of the Al-doped ZnO (AZO) window layer from the {"}standard{"} 0.12 μm to a modest 0.50 μm over an underlying 0.10-μm intrinsic ZnO buffer layer. The CIGS cells were prepared with external electrical contact using fine Au wire to the tiny {"}standard{"} Ni/Al (0.05 μm/3 μm) metal grid contact pads. Bare cell coupons and sample sets encapsulated in a specially designed, Al-frame test structure with an opening for moisture ingress control using a TPT backsheet were exposed to DH at 85°C and 85% relative humidity, and characterized by current-voltage (I-V), quantum efficiency (QE), and (electrochemical) impedance spectroscopy (ECIS). The results show that bare cells exhibited rapid degradation within 50-100 h, accompanied by film wrinkling and delamination and corrosion of Mo and AlNi grid, regardless of AZO thickness. In contrast, the encapsulated cells did not show film wrinkling, delamination, and Mo corrosion after 168 h DH exposure; but the trend of efficiency degradation rate showed a weak correlation to the AZO thickness.",

author = "Pern, {F. J.} and L. Mansfield and C. DeHart and Glick, {S. H.} and F. Yan and R. Noufi",

note = "See NREL/CP-5200-50682 for preprint; 37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2011 ; Conference date: 19-06-2011 Through 24-06-2011",

year = "2011",

doi = "10.1109/pvsc.2011.6186527",

language = "American English",

pages = "2798--2803",

}

Pern, FJ, Mansfield, L, DeHart, C, Glick, SH, Yan, F & Noufi, R 2011, 'Thickness Effect of Al-Doped ZnO Window Layer on Damp-Heat Stability of CuInGaSe2 Solar Cells', Paper presented at 37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2011, Seattle, WA, United States, 19/06/11 - 24/06/11 pp. 2798-2803. https://doi.org/10.1109/pvsc.2011.6186527, https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2011.6186527

TY - CONF

T1 - Thickness Effect of Al-Doped ZnO Window Layer on Damp-Heat Stability of CuInGaSe2 Solar Cells

AU - Pern, F. J.

AU - Mansfield, L.

AU - DeHart, C.

AU - Glick, S. H.

AU - Yan, F.

AU - Noufi, R.

N1 - See NREL/CP-5200-50682 for preprint

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - We investigated the damp heat (DH) stability of CuInGaSe 2 (CIGS) solar cells as a function of thickness of the Al-doped ZnO (AZO) window layer from the "standard" 0.12 μm to a modest 0.50 μm over an underlying 0.10-μm intrinsic ZnO buffer layer. The CIGS cells were prepared with external electrical contact using fine Au wire to the tiny "standard" Ni/Al (0.05 μm/3 μm) metal grid contact pads. Bare cell coupons and sample sets encapsulated in a specially designed, Al-frame test structure with an opening for moisture ingress control using a TPT backsheet were exposed to DH at 85°C and 85% relative humidity, and characterized by current-voltage (I-V), quantum efficiency (QE), and (electrochemical) impedance spectroscopy (ECIS). The results show that bare cells exhibited rapid degradation within 50-100 h, accompanied by film wrinkling and delamination and corrosion of Mo and AlNi grid, regardless of AZO thickness. In contrast, the encapsulated cells did not show film wrinkling, delamination, and Mo corrosion after 168 h DH exposure; but the trend of efficiency degradation rate showed a weak correlation to the AZO thickness.

AB - We investigated the damp heat (DH) stability of CuInGaSe 2 (CIGS) solar cells as a function of thickness of the Al-doped ZnO (AZO) window layer from the "standard" 0.12 μm to a modest 0.50 μm over an underlying 0.10-μm intrinsic ZnO buffer layer. The CIGS cells were prepared with external electrical contact using fine Au wire to the tiny "standard" Ni/Al (0.05 μm/3 μm) metal grid contact pads. Bare cell coupons and sample sets encapsulated in a specially designed, Al-frame test structure with an opening for moisture ingress control using a TPT backsheet were exposed to DH at 85°C and 85% relative humidity, and characterized by current-voltage (I-V), quantum efficiency (QE), and (electrochemical) impedance spectroscopy (ECIS). The results show that bare cells exhibited rapid degradation within 50-100 h, accompanied by film wrinkling and delamination and corrosion of Mo and AlNi grid, regardless of AZO thickness. In contrast, the encapsulated cells did not show film wrinkling, delamination, and Mo corrosion after 168 h DH exposure; but the trend of efficiency degradation rate showed a weak correlation to the AZO thickness.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84861035684&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1109/pvsc.2011.6186527

DO - 10.1109/pvsc.2011.6186527

M3 - Paper

AN - SCOPUS:84861035684

SP - 2798

EP - 2803

T2 - 37th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2011

Y2 - 19 June 2011 through 24 June 2011

ER -

Thickness Effect of Al-Doped ZnO Window Layer on Damp-Heat Stability of CuInGaSe2 Solar Cells

Abstract

Conference

Bibliographical note

NREL Publication Number

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this