Related papers: Improved sequentially processed Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 b…
Record efficiency in chalcopyrite-based solar cells Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 is achieved using a gallium gradient to increase the band gap of the absorber towards the back side. Although this structure has successfully reduced recombination at the…
Sulfide chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)S2 (CIGS) is a wide bandgap semiconductor suitable for the top cell of a tandem solar device. Here we demonstrate significant improvements in absorber quality by alloying with Ag to form (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)S2…
Reducing the thickness of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells is a key objective in order to reduce production cost and to improve sustainability. The major challenge for sub-micron Cu(In,Ga)Se2 cells is the recombination at the backside. In standard…
Sulphurization processes in Cu(In,Ga)Se$_2$ thin-film solar cells has been intensively studied in the last decade as a viable alternative to the existing Ga-grading. The main advantage of using S grading is that by substituting Se with S we…
Wide-gap Cu(In,Ga)S2 solar cells with In2O3:Sn (ITO) as transparent back contact are evaluated for the application as top cells in tandem devices. The effect of Na on the solar cell performance is investigated by supplying additional Na by…
Thin-film solar cells reach high efficiencies and have a low carbon footprint in production. Tandem solar cells have the potential to significantly increase the efficiency of this technology, where the bottom-cell is generally composed of a…
New generation Indium based lead-free Cs2InAgCl6 is a promising halide material in photovoltaic applications due to its good air stability and non-toxic behavior. But its wide band gap (>3 eV) is not suitable for solar spectrum and hence…
Tandem solar cells can better harness the energy of the solar spectrum. Chalcopyrite solar cells have drawn attention, being the only highly efficient devices with bandgap around 1.0 eV, suitable for bottom cells. In the quest for better…
This study underscores the pivotal role of sodium (Na) supply in optimizing the optoelectronic properties of wide bandgap (~1.6 eV) Cu(In,Ga)S2 (CIGS) thin film absorbers for high efficiency solar cells. Our findings demonstrate that the…
Sulfide chalcopyrite, Cu(In,Ga)S2, having wide bandgap (larger than 1.5 eV), favorable optoelectronic properties, and high stability, is a promising top-cell absorber for tandem applications. Adapting device structures optimized for 1.0 -…
Traditional CdS buffer layer in selenium-free Cu(In,Ga)S2 solar cells leads to reduced open-circuit voltage because of a negative conduction band offset at the Cu(In,Ga)S2/CdS interface. Reducing this loss necessitates the substitution of…
The improvement of light absorption in Si/BeSe$_{0.41}$Te$_{0.59}$ heterostructures for solar cell applications is studied theoretically. First, using simple approaches we found that light absorption could be improved in a single…
The lead-free double perovskite material (viz. Cs$_2$AgBiCl$_6$) has emerged as an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to lead halide perovskites. To make Cs$_2$AgBiCl$_6$ optically active in the visible region of solar…
We present direct measurements of depth-resolved band gap variations of CuIn(1-x)Ga(x)Se2 thin-film solar cell absorbers. A new measurement technique combining parallel measurements of local thin-film interference and spectral…
Introducing an isolated intermediate band (IB) into a wide band gap semiconductor can potentially improve the optical absorption of the material beyond the Shockley-Queisser limitation for solar cells. Here, we present a systematic study of…
In$_2$Se$_3$ in the three-dimensional (3D) hexagonal crystal structure with space group $P6_1$ ($\gamma$-In$_2$Se$_3$) has a direct band gap of $\sim$1.8 eV and high absorption coefficient, making it a promising semiconductor material for…
Two strategies for enhancing photovoltaic (PV) performance in chalcopyrite solar cells were investigated: Cu1-xKxIn1-yGaySe2 absorbers with low K content (K/(K+Cu), or x ~ 0.07) distributed throughout the bulk, and CuIn1-yGaySe2 absorbers…
We present a comprehensive study of the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of CuGa$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$S$_2$, as a promising candidate for intermediate-band (IB) solar cells. We use hybrid exchange-correlation functional within the…
Organic-inorganic halide perovskite materials have emerged as attractive alternatives to conventional solar cell building blocks. Their high light absorption coefficients and long diffusion lengths suggest high power conversion efficiencies…
An ideal solar thermal absorber has a sharp transition between high and low absorptance at the wavelength where the blackbody emissive power begins to exceed the solar irradiance. However, most real selective absorbers have a fairly broad…