Authors:

Paul Spitz

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About Paper:

Solar energy is an abundant and renewable source that offers a sustainable alternative to help meet global energy demands. Currently, most of the solar energy production relies on silicon solar cells, which require higher temperature processing conditions and a thicker absorber layer. CuInSe2/Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CISe/CIGSe) chalcopyrite-based materials have been promising inorganic semiconductors due to their potential for lower production costs and ease of manufacturing by solution techniques. One of the main chemistries used in solution processing is the amine-thiol system, which has shown high performance and broad dissolution capacity of binary and pure metals, but still limited power conversion efficiency. Typically, a sulfide precursor film is coated and subsequently annealed at high temperature in the presence of a chalcogen element to create a selenide film. However, this ion exchange mechanism is not fully completed and could lead to sulfur residue alongside carbon impurities, which hinders the possible further improvement in performance. Here, we explore a different method for creating selenium-containing sulfur-free precursor inks using selenourea as a selenium source and primarily using dimethyl formamide as a solvent. The selenourea forms adducts with the metal precursors in the solution, forming our desired CISe/CIGSe phases. These phases, obtained by molecular processing conditions of this chemistry, are more focused on the development of thin films and further applications in solar cell devices. Using Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy at multiple steps, we will analyze film morphology and molecular composition to obtain suitable absorber layers with decent opto-electronic properties. Keywords: Solar Cell; CIGS; Solar Energy; Selenourea

Source:

Purdue University / 2025

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Co-authors:

Paul Spitz