CuIn1−Ga Se2 thin-film absorber layers for solar photovoltaics fabricated by two-stage pulsed current electrodeposition

• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2013.12.063
• Publication Date: 2013-12-22T12:17:14Z
• Authors: Sreekanth Mandati; Bulusu V. Sarada; Suhash R. Dey; Shrikant V. Joshi
• Keywords: Photocurrent

Abstract Single phase polycrystalline Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS) thin-films for solar photovoltaic applications were fabricated by an economical two-stage method of Pulsed Current (PC) electrodeposition. Cu, Ga and Se were first co-deposited onto a Mo foil followed by deposition of In. The as-deposited films were annealed in Argon atmosphere at 550 °C for 30 min and were further characterized to study their morphology, phase constitution, and optical absorption. The results revealed that the films have a compact morphology and are comprised of a crystalline chalcopyrite single phase CIGS. The bandgap of the CIGS films was found to be 1.27 eV from absorption studies. The photoelectrochemical studies revealed the p-type nature of CIGS films with improved photocurrent over that obtained for one-stage PC electrodeposited CIGS thin-films.