One of the most interesting and controversial materials in solar is copperindiumgalliumselenide, or cigs for short. Indium gallium nitride is the lightemitting layer in modern blue and green leds and often grown on a gan buffer on a transparent substrate as, e. There, the main cost is launching the satellite into. Indium gallium aluminum nitride is generally prepared by epitaxial methods like pulsedlaser deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, etc. New process could make gallium arsenide cheaper for. A copper indium gallium selenide solar cell is a thinfilm solar cell used to convert sunlight into. The power conversion efficiency of photovoltaic devices made with inkdeposited cuinxga1xse2 cigs nanocrystal layers can be enhanced by sintering the nanocrystals with a high temperature selenization process. The impact on manufacturing cost associated with the use of cadmium and the desirability of using a wider band gap material to achieve higher spectral response in the blue region have motivated the search for an alternative buffer layer material for solar cells based on copper indium gallium sulfur selenide cigss and related alloys. A copper indium gallium selenide solar cell or cigs cell, sometimes cigs or cis cell is a thinfilm solar cell used to convert sunlight into electric power. This process, however, can be challenging to control. Cigsbased thinfilm solar modules represent a highefficiency alternative for largescale, commercial solar modules.
This material is available free of charge via the internet at pdf. Pdf we performed modeling and simulation of copper indium gallium diselenide cigs thin film solar cell. Copper indium gallium selenide cigs based solar cells are receiving. Copper indium gallium diselenide solar cells photovoltaic. It has a hexagonal layer structure, similar to that of gas. We present a systematic study of the effect of variation of the zinc oxide zno and copper indium gallium diselenide cigs layer thickness on the absorption characteristics of cigs solar cells using a simulation program based on finite element method fem. Copperindiumgalliumselenide technology was expected to revolutionize the industry. But siliconbased solar is so much cheaper to make that gallium arsenide solar cells are relegated to exotic applications such as satellites.
Copper indium gallium di selenide cigs is a iiiivi 2 semiconductor material composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. The maximum reported efficiency for iiinitride solar cells is still only 3. Gaas is the highest performance solar material currently available, boasting conversion efficiencies in excess of 40%, nearly double those of crystalline silicon. Performance analysis of copperindiumgalliumdiselenide.
Chemical bath deposited zinc sulfide buffer layers for. Gse manufactures copper indium gallium diselenide cigs by using stateofthe art, controlled coevaporation and the thinnest stainless steel substrate possible to create flexible and light weight thin film pv products for use in any application. A list of current projects, summary of the benefits, and discussion on the production and manufacturing of this solar technology are below. Cigs solar cell, in full copper indium gallium selenide solar cell, thinfilm photovoltaic device that uses semiconductor layers of copper indium gallium selenide cigs to absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. We used a onedimensional simulation program solar cell capacitance simulator in 1 dimension scaps1d to investigate copper indium gallium diselenide cigs based solar cells properties. Cigs copperindiumgalliumselenide solar cells are compound thinfilm solar cells and the most established alternative to silicon solar cells. New process could make gallium arsenide cheaper for computer.
Sep 28, 2015 cigs copper indium gallium selenide solar cells are compound thinfilm solar cells and the most established alternative to silicon solar cells. Nano letters morphology control of layerstructured. This paper presents optimization studies on the formation of indium sulfide buffer layers for high. Copper indium gallium diselenide cigs thin films have shown considerable promise for use as an absorber layer in highefficiency solar cells. Dec 31, 2014 textured transparent conductors are widely used in thinfilm silicon solar cells. Soldering or fusing applications melts at temperatures ranging from 6. Here, we report that ink deposition followed by annealing under inert gas and then selenization. Copper indium gallium diselenide cigs is a iiiivi 2 semiconductor material composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. Because the material has a high absorption coefficient. Jun 21, 2014 copper indium gallium selenide solar cells. Numerical analysis of copperindiumgalliumdiselenide.
The solar energy as one of the new energy sources and a regenerated energy is abundant and pollution free. Composition dependent characterization of copper indium. Copper indium gallium diselenide how is copper indium gallium diselenide abbreviated. Global copper indium gallium selenide cigs,cis solar. Starting with a conventional znobiznocdscigs structure, we simulated the parameters of currentvoltage characteristics and showed how the absorber layer thickness, hole density, and band gap influence. Its bandgap can be tuned by varying the amount of indium in the alloy. Here, however, sodium is shown to have the opposite effect in monocrystalline gallium free cuinse 2 grown on gaas substrates. Textured transparent conductors are widely used in thinfilm silicon solar cells. The photovoltaics manufacturing consortium pvmc is leading research and development of cigs in new york state. The initial results obtained from the preparation of cigs films via laser ablation and flash evaporation are presented along with a comparison of the two deposition processes.
Finding a way to boost efficiency of cigs solar cells. Copper indium gallium selenide powder american elements. Sep 29, 2018 cigs thin film solar panels are made up from cigs cells. This means that it can produce nearly twice as much power in a given surface area. Cigs thin film solar panels are made up from cigs cells. In copperindiumgalliumdiselenide cigs based solar cells, various replacements for conventional cadmium sulfide cds buffer layer, such as zno, zns o,oh, znse, ins and zn 1. It is a photoconductor, a second harmonic generation crystal in nonlinear optics, and has been used as a farinfrared conversion material at 1431 thz and above. However, highindiumcontent ingan has a narrower bandgap with a lower limit of 0. Sodium is well known to impede interdiffusion of indium and gallium in polycrystalline cuin,gase. Copper indium gallium diselenide how is copper indium. Improving the efficiency of copper indium gallium di. The top countries of supplier is china, from which the percentage of gallium solar supply is 100% respectively. Starting with a conventional znobiznocdscigs structure, we simulated the parameters of currentvoltage characteristics and showed how the absorber layer thickness, hole density, and. Since 20 theyve been developing proprietary manufacturing equipment and components using a roll to roll manufacturing process which replicates the cigs copper indium gallium selenide solar.
Gallium arsenide high power thin films nanoflex power. Jul 22, 2017 thin film copper indium gallium di selenide cigs photovoltaic pv modules show promise for significant growth. Cigsbased photovoltaic cells pv cells for solar energy are fabricated from a positively charged or ptype cigs layer underneath a negatively charged or ntype layer. Thin films of copper indium gallium selenide cigs are used in highperforming solar cells. The market at present is on the verge of switching to a second generation of thin film solar cell technology which offers prospects for. Global copper indium gallium selenide cigs,cis solar cells module industry market research 2017. The booming solar industry is in the midst of an argument over which material will become dominant in the future for harvesting sunlight. Pdf abstract copper indium gallium selenide cigs based solar cells. A study on the optics of copper indium gallium diselenide. Thinfilm copper indium gallium selenide solar cell based on. Copper indium gallium selenide cigs photovoltaic devices. Although cigs solar cells are considered to be in the early stages of largescale commercialization, they can be produced by using a process that has the potential. Indium gallium aluminium nitride ingaaln semiconductors. In the solar cell field, development of simple, lowcost, and lowtemperature fabrication processes has become an important trend for energysaving and environmental issues.
Indiums name is derived from the latin word indicum. The restricted efficiency is related to the wider bandgap cutting off the majority of the solar spectrum as simulated by the am1. We used a onedimensional simulation program solar cell capacitance simulator in 1 dimension scaps1d to investigate copperindiumgalliumdiselenide cigs based solar cells properties. The thinfilm cell is deposited onto a substrate, such as sodalime glass, metal.
Copper indium gallium selenide solar cells youtube. Feb 01, 2016 here, we compared ecotoxicological effects of two thinfilm photovoltaics. Copper indium selenide single crystal american elements. Addition of indium to the gallium nitride to form the lightemitting layer leads to the emission of ultraviolet and visible lights. Copper indium gallium selenide cigs based solar cells are receiving worldwide attention for solar power generation. It is a ternary group iiigroup v direct bandgap semiconductor. Sodium is well known to impede interdiffusion of indium and gallium in polycrystalline cuin,gase 2. Other forms of indium such as pellets or shot can be used to form similar active layers when utilizing evaporative methods of deposition.
Copper indium gallium selenide thin film solar cells. Thinfilm copper indium gallium selenide solar cell based. Abstract copper indium gallium selenide cigs based solar cells are receiving worldwide attention for solar power generation. Ecotoxicological assessment of solar cell leachates. However, vacuum and hightemperature processing in fabrication of solar cells have limited the applications. There is a strong need to develop simple and scalable methods. Copper indium gallium diselenide department of energy. Copper indium gallium selenide solar cells wikipedia. Cigs solar cells feature a thin film of copper indium selenide and copper gallium selenide and a trace amount of sodium. Morphology control of layerstructured gallium selenide nanowires hailin peng, stefan meister, candace k. We show that the absorption in the cigs layer does not decrease monotonically with its layer thickness due to interference effects. Copper indium gallium selenide thin film solarenergyforus. This is possible due to engineered gallium depth gradients and alkali extrinsic doping. Thinfilm copper indium gallium selenide solar cell based on low.
Indium s name is derived from the latin word indicum, meaning violet. Point contacts at the copperindiumgalliumselenide interfacea. Numerical analysis of copperindiumgalliumdiselenidebased. Copper indium gallium diselenide solar cells nrel has significant capabilities in copper indium gallium diselenide cigs thinfilm photovoltaic research and device development. By brad mattson, special to solar power world one of the most interesting and controversial materials in solar is copperindiumgalliumselenide, or cigs for short. Cds free buffer layers, concerns related to flexible solar cells, and factors affecting the. Nano letters morphology control of layerstructured gallium. This study presents the results of a life cycle assessment lca study of cigs technology, currently being advanced by pvmc, and. Mar 25, 2015 but siliconbased solar is so much cheaper to make that gallium arsenide solar cells are relegated to exotic applications such as satellites. It is an efficient thin film solar cell achieved the 22. Copper indium gallium diselenidebased technology provides the most ef. They are efficient thin film solar cells that have achieved 22. Here, we report that ink deposition followed by annealing under inert gas and then selenization can provide better control. Sep 21, 2017 the privately held company has been developing and manufacturing pv thin film solar cells for over 10 years now and are leaders in their field.
Deposition and characterization of copper indium gallium. Chan, xiao feng zhang, and yi cui, department of materials science and engineering, stanford university, stanford, california 94305, department of chemistry, stanford university. What are cigs copper indium gallium selenide thin film. Pdf optimization of copper indium gallium diselenide thin film. Copper indium gallium selenide based solar cells a.
Sealing in cryogenic applications stays malleable and ductile below 150 c. Chemical bath deposited zinc sulfide buffer layers for copper. Thin film copper indium gallium diselenide cigs photovoltaic pv modules show promise for significant growth. Life cycle assessment of photovoltaic manufacturing. Doe supports innovative research focused on overcoming the current technological and commercial barriers for copper indium gallium diselenide cuin x ga 1xse 2, or cigs, solar cells. Osa a study on the optics of copper indium gallium di. Sep 16, 2016 a copper indium gallium selenide solar cell or cigs cell, sometimes cigs or cis cell is a thin film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electric power they are manufactured by depositing a thin layer of copper, indium, gallium and selenide on glass or plastic backing, along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current. That cigs film acts as a direct bandgap semiconductor and forms a heterojunction, as the bandgaps of the two different materials are unequal. Copper indium gallium selenide cigs cells show higher activity than organic photovoltaic opv cells. The material is a solid solution of copper indium selenide often abbreviated cis and copper gallium selenide.
Copper indium gallium selenide powder cigs for solar energy applications is a ptype or absorber layer material. The privately held company has been developing and manufacturing pv thin film solar cells for over 10 years now and are leaders in their field. A copper indium gallium selenide solar cell or cigs cell, sometimes cigs or cis cell is a thin film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electric power they are manufactured by depositing a thin layer of copper, indium, gallium and selenide on glass or plastic backing, along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current. We show that the absorption in the cigs layer does not decrease monotonically with its layer thickness due to interference. It is mainly used in the manufacture of advanced solar cells owing to its high absorption coefficient and ability to strongly absorb sunlight.
Jan 08, 2014 copperindiumgalliumselenide technology was expected to revolutionize the industry. It has a high heat capacity and its sensitivity to ionizing radiation is low like other group iii nitrides, making it also a potentially suitable material for solar. Copper indium gallium selenide cigs solar cells have attracted much attention due to the high absorption coefficient, tunable band gap energy, and high efficiency. It has been described as one of the potential successors to silicon as the dominant material in photovoltaics. It is manufactured by depositing a thin layer of copper, indium, gallium and selenium on glass or plastic backing, along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current.
Copper indium gallium selenide thin film solar cells intechopen. This study presents the results of a life cycle assessment lca study of cigs technology, currently being advanced by pvmc, and compares the environmental performance. Sodium enhances indiumgallium interdiffusion in copper. The impact on manufacturing cost associated with the use of cadmium and the desirability of using a wider band gap material to achieve higher spectral response in the blue region have motivated the search for an alternative buffer layer material for solar cells based on copper indium gallium sulfurselenide cigss and related alloys. Indium corporation indium metal for soldering and sealing indium solder and sealing products. Pdf copper indium gallium selenide based solar cells. Leachates were produced by exposing photovoltaics to uv light, physical damage, and exposure to environmentally relevant model waters, representing mesotrophic lake water, acidic rain.
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