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Optimized CIGS based solar cell towardsan efficient solar cell: impact of layers thickness and doping

• Published: 26 April 2021
• Volume 53 , article number  245 , ( 2021 )

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• Yasmina Osman 1 ,
• Mostafa Fedawy   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8556-1832 1 ,
• Mohamed Abaza   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0128-2244 1 &
• Moustafa H. Aly   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1966-3755 1  

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This paper presents a numerical simulation study of copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells. An electron back reflector layer (EBR) is added to the conventional CIGS structure to minimize the recombination of the carriers at the back contact, and then absorber thickness can be further decreased. The impacts of thickness and carrier concentration variations of the CIGS cell structure are investigated to optimize the performance of the solar cell using the simulator SCAPS. The proposed CIGS solar cell achieved a significant improvement in the conversion efficiency of 27.652%, which is more than 43% higher than those previously reported in the literature for the CIGS solar cells. The proposed work does not only greatly improve the efficiency but also the overall thickness of the CIGS layers are dramatically decreased to 505 nm. That is already 3 to 4 times less than the average thickness reported for the conventional CIGS solar cells.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the University of Gent, Belgium for providing the opportunity to use SCAPS simulation software.

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Electronics and Communication Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Technology, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, AbouKir, P.O.B. 1029, Cairo, Alexandria, Egypt

Yasmina Osman, Mostafa Fedawy, Mohamed Abaza & Moustafa H. Aly

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Osman, Y., Fedawy, M., Abaza, M. et al. Optimized CIGS based solar cell towardsan efficient solar cell: impact of layers thickness and doping. Opt Quant Electron 53 , 245 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-021-02873-4

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Received : 21 September 2020

Accepted : 11 April 2021

Published : 26 April 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-021-02873-4

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Development of Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells with Composition and Interface Engineering

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• July 24, 2019
• Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Applied Physical Sciences, Materials Science Program
• Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) have drawn tremendous research attention in the past years because of their various advantages for photovoltaic applications such as large absorption coefficient, suitable bandgap, excellent crystallinity and long carrier diffusion length. To judge the feasibility of commercialization of a photovoltaic technology, three factors are usually considered: cost, efficiency and stability. Perovskite solar cells are predicted to be low-cost because of its low material and fabrication costs, while the efficiency and stability still require further development. This dissertation focused on the efficiency and operation stability enhancement of OIHP solar cell by controlling the OIHP film fabrication process, interfacial layers, passivation techniques and compositional manipulation. In Chapter 2, the morphology of methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite films fabricated by one-step method was studied and improved by adopting a non-stoichiometry precursor ratio. By using a unique double fullerene layer structure to passivate the trap states, devices with a high fill factor of 80.1% were achieved for perovskite solar cells under one sun illumination. In Chapter 3, a doped hole transporting polymer was used in MAPbI3 perovskite solar cells to further improve perovskite efficiency to 17.5%. Doping the transporting layer reduce device series resistance to increase device fill factor and open circuit voltage without sacrificing the short circuit current. In Chapter 4, a tunneling contact was used on top of MAPbI3 layers to increase the efficiency of perovskite solar cells to 20.3%. The tunneling layers made of hydrophobic polymers also significantly enhance the stability of perovskite solar cells in humid air. In Chapter 5, another promising inorganic perovskite material, cesium lead iodide (CsPbI3), was used improve the thermal stability of perovskite solar cells. Sulfobetaine zwitterion was mixed in the CsPbI3 perovskite precursor solution to stabilize the black phase of CsPbI3. In Chapter 6, a novel phenomenon, self-doping in MAPbI3 perovskite, was demonstrated and reported. MAPbI3 was found to be either n- or p-doped by changing the ratio of methylammonium halide (MAI) and lead iodine (PbI2) which are the two precursors for perovskite formation
• Materials Science
• Moisture stability
• Efficiency enhancement
• Perovskite solar cell
• https://doi.org/10.17615/tvkj-5s39
• Dissertation
• Warren, Scott C.
• Huang, Jinsong
• Andrew, Moran M.
• Cahoon, James F.
• Doctor of Philosophy
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School

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Energy & Environmental Science

A highly crystalline donor enables over 17% efficiency for small-molecule organic solar cell.

The development of novel small-molecule donor is crucial for achieving highly efficient small-molecule organic solar cells (SM-OSCs). In this study, two small-molecule donors, B3TR and B2, were designed and synthesized. In comparison to B3TR, the skeleton of B2 includes an additional benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT) unit, but lacks two alkylated thiophene units. Although both small-molecule donors exhibit similar absorption profiles in solution, B2 demonstrates stronger crystallinity and lower energetic disorder than B3TR. When blended with the non-fullerene acceptor BTP-eC9, the B2:BTP-eC9 film exhibits a smaller π-π distance and a more favorable bulk heterojunction morphology. Interestingly, with an increase in solvent vapor annealing (SVA) time, B3TR shows a significant redshift in the absorption edge in the B3TR:BTP-eC9 film and an upshifted HOMO level. In contrast, B2 does not exhibit redshifts in the absorption edge in the B2:BTP-eC9 film and maintains an unchanged HOMO level. Consequently, the as-cast B3TR:BTP-eC9-based device achieves a PCE of 2.36%, with an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.870 V. After SVA treatment, the B3TR:BTP-eC9-based SM-OSC attains a PCE of 14.8% with a significantly reduced VOC of 0.809 V. In contrast, the as-cast B2:BTP-eC9-based device exhibits a significantly high PCE of 9.8% with a VOC of 0.876 V. After SVA treatment, the B2:BTP-eC9-based device produces a superior PCE of 17.1%, with a slightly reduced VOC of 0.861 V. This study indicates that the development of highly crystalline donor materials is one of the promising strategies for achieving high-performance SM-OSCs.

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T. Zhang, C. An, P. Bi, K. Xian, Z. Chen, J. Wang, Y. Xu, J. Dai, L. Ma, G. Wang, X. Hao, L. Ye, S. Zhang and J. Hou, Energy Environ. Sci. , 2024, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D4EE00400K

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Researchers Take a Step Closer to Better, More Affordable Solar Cells

Innovative technique leads to perovskite-based solar cells with record-breaking efficiency, the problem:.

Scaling single-junction perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has been challenging.

A new technique applied during crystal formation that allows PSCs with an ‘inverted’ or ‘pin’ structure – known for their stability – to exhibit high efficiency.

Why it Matters:

The breakthrough means PSCs are closer to scaling, bringing them nearer their potential to contribute to the decarbonization of the electricity supply.

Professor Ted Sargent, Research Assistant Professor Bin Chen, Postdoctoral Researcher Hao Chen, Postdoctoral Fellow Cheng Liu

An international team of researchers, including a group from Northwestern Engineering and Northwestern Chemistry , has set a new world record for power conversion efficiency (PCE) of single-junction perovskite solar cells (PSCs).

These solar cells – created from an emerging solar material – have the potential to generate greater solar energy at a lower cost than today’s industry-standard silicon solar cells, but scaling the technology has its challenges. Until now, PSCs have shown either high stability and lower efficiency or vice versa, depending on their structure.

Yet this team’s work has resulted in a highly stable, highly efficient 0.05cm 2 perovskite solar cell with a PCE of 26.15 percent certified by a National Renewable Energy Laboratory -accredited facility. The prior certified world record published in a scientific journal was 25.73 percent.

A 1.04 cm 2 device had a certified power conversion efficiency of 24.74 percent, also a record for its size. The best devices retained 95 percent of their initial PCE following 1,200 hours of continuous solar illumination at a temperature of 65 degrees.

“Perovskite-based solar cells have the potential to contribute to the decarbonization of the electricity supply once we finalize their design, achieve the union of performance and durability, and scale the devices,” said Ted Sargent , Lynn Hopton Davis and Greg Davis Professor of Chemistry and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northwestern University, co-executive director of the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy , and co-corresponding author of the paper. “Our team has discovered a new technique applied during crystal formation that allows PSCs with an ‘inverted’ or ‘pin’ structure – known for their stability – to exhibit high efficiency. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Our team has discovered a new technique applied during crystal formation that allows perovskite solar cells with an ‘inverted’ or ‘pin’ structure – known for their stability – to exhibit high efficiency. It’s the best of both worlds.

Ted Sargent Lynn Hopton Davis and Greg Davis Professor of Chemistry and Electrical and Computer Engineering

"Until today, a promising and more stable perovskite solar cell - inverted perovskite solar cells - have suffered lower energy efficiencies than those achieved in their non-inverted counterparts. This work represents an important milestone by crossing the efficiency-parity threshold," said Zhijun Ning, co-corresponding author and assistant professor at ShanghaiTech University.

Findings were reported April 11 in the journal Science.

A new approach to treating defects

The basic structure of “inverted” PSCs consists of an outer electron-transporting layer (ETL), a hole transporting layer (HTL), an anode, and a cathode. The energetic losses for the cells occur primarily at the interfaces between the perovskites and the ETL and HTL layers in places where there are tiny defects in the crystals.

Prior attempts at reducing energy loss have included the use of additive or surface treatments to passivate the defects. Sargent’s team noted that the molecules in these treatments bonded at a single site on the defects in a perpendicular orientation, forcing the electrons to travel a long distance up through the material, causing resistance and lowering efficiency.

The team set out to find a molecule that would bond on two neighboring sites on the defects in a horizontal orientation, reducing the distance the electrons needed to travel and improving efficiency. They identified one molecule – 4- chlorobenzenesulfonate – that could lay down at the surface of the perovskites by forming strong Cl-Pb and SO 3 -Pb bonds with the undercoordinated Pb 2+ and led to improved performance of the devices.

“By carefully selecting molecules that lie flat on the perovskite surface, binding to two sites simultaneously, our new strategy reduced the interface resistance:  the result is much higher fill factor in solar cells, reaching 95 percent of the theoretical limit," said Jian Xu, co-first author and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto.

“Not only did the addition of these molecules improve efficiency, they also simplified the manufacturing process,” noted Hao Chen , a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern Engineering and co-first author of the paper. “When added to the perovskites precursor, these molecules automatically go to the surface of the perovskite layer to patch defects during the crystallization process. This removes the need to treat the surface defects, an extra step that often results in uneven coverage of passivators and poor stability of the devices.”

This discovery builds on prior research conducted by the Sargent Group , which has explored various strategies to improve PSC performance and stability to make them a viable alternative to silicon solar cells. Next, the team will look toward scaling the devices.

“Northwestern is really at the forefront of renewable energy technology research,” said Bin Chen , co-corresponding author and research assistant professor at Northwestern Engineering. “By focusing on stable inverted perovskites and making breakthroughs in their performance, we are  developing a solar technology that can be a gamechanger in the field.”

"With the efficiency discrepancy solved, the large and growing perovskite community will focus even more of its firepower on the inverted perovskite solar cell architecture in light of its stability advantages," said Aidan Maxwell, co-first author of the paper and a graduate student at the University of Toronto.

“We were thrilled when we achieved an independently certified efficiency of 26.1 percent for inverted perovskite solar cells: this was the first to surpass the record for the conventional structure,” added Cheng Liu , postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern Chemistry and co-first author of the paper. “The accomplishment motivates not only our own team but will also inspires further collective efforts across the wide and productive global perovskite community."

Additional authors on the paper include Yi Yang, Abdulaziz S. R. Bati, Yuan Liu, and Mercouri G. Kanatzidis of Northwestern Chemistry; Haoyue Wan, Zaiwei Wang, Lewei Zeng, Junke Wang, Sam Teale, Yanjiang Liu, Sjoerd Hoogland, Peter Serles, and Tobin Filleter of the University of Toronto; Wei Zhou and Qilin Zhou of ShanghaiTech University; Makhsud I. Saidaminov of the University of Victoria; and Muzhi Li and Nicholas Rolston of Arizona State University.

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Interior Said to Reject Industrial Road Through Alaskan Wilderness

A mining company wants to build a 211-mile industrial road through Alaskan wilderness to reach a large copper deposit. The Interior Department says it would harm wildlife and communities.

By Lisa Friedman

The Biden administration is expected to deny permission for a 211-mile industrial road through fragile Alaskan wilderness to a large copper deposit, handing a victory to environmentalists in an election year when the president wants to underscore his credentials as a climate leader and conservationist.

The Interior Department intends to announce as early as this week that there should be “no action” on the federal land where the road known as the Ambler Access Project would be built, according to two people familiar with the decision who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the decision. A formal denial of the project would come later this year, they said.

The road was essential to reach what is estimated to be a $7.5 billion copper deposit buried under ecologically sensitive land. There are currently no mines in the area and no requests for permits have been filed with the government; the road was a first step.

Blocking the industrial road would be an enormous victory for opponents who have argued for years that it would threaten wildlife as well as Alaska Native tribes that rely on hunting and fishing.

Environmentalists, including many young climate activists, were infuriated last year by President Biden’s decision to approve Willow, an $8 billion oil drilling project on pristine federal land in Alaska. The proposed road would be several hundred miles south of the Willow project.

The move comes as the Biden administration tries to find a balance between two different and sometimes opposing goals.

Mr. Biden is intent on bolstering clean energy in the United States to fight climate change. Ambler Metals, the mining venture behind the proposed road, has said the copper it seeks is critical to make wind turbines, photovoltaic cells and transmission lines needed for wind, solar and other renewable energy. But the president is also determined to conserve environmentally sensitive lands, and has been expanding the footprint of national monuments around the country while also blocking off some public lands from oil and gas drilling.

David Krause, the interim executive director of the National Audubon Society’s Alaska office said protecting the wilderness around the Ambler area is a “huge deal.”

“This is one of the most ecologically-intact and functional landscapes on the planet,” Mr. Krause said.

As proposed, the Ambler project would consist of a $350 million two-lane, all-season gravel road that would run through the Brooks Range foothills and the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, crossing 11 rivers and thousands of streams before it reached the site of a future mine.

The Interior Department found that a road would disturb wildlife habitat, pollute spawning grounds for salmon and threaten the hunting and fishing traditions of more than 30 Alaska Native communities. In its final analysis, the agency is expected to say that any version of an industrial road would “significantly and irrevocably” hurt the environment and tribal communities, the two people said.

“The caribou is struggling, the fish are struggling,” Julie Roberts-Hyslop, the first chief of the Tanana Tribe, said in an interview last year. A road would exacerbate those troubles, she said.

A spokeswoman for the Interior Department declined to comment.

Kaleb Froehlich, the managing director of Ambler Metals, said the company was “stunned” that the Interior Department would deny the project.

“If true, this decision ignores the support of local communities for this project, while denying jobs for Alaskans and critical revenues for a region where youth are being forced to leave because of a lack of opportunity,” Mr. Froehlich said in a statement. He called it “an unlawful and politically motivated decision” and urged the government to reconsider.

Because Ambler Road would cut through federal land, it required a right of way permit from the Interior Department. The Trump administration approved the permit in 2020, citing the potential for the road to provide access to significant copper and cobalt deposits .

After Mr. Biden was elected, Interior secretary Deb Haaland ordered a new analysis, saying the road’s environmental impact had not been adequately studied. In October, her agency issued a draft review that found “significant deficiencies” in the Trump-era study.

For example, the new review identified 66 communities that could be impacted by the road, compared with 27 identified by the Trump administration. The review found that many of those communities depend on local caribou and fish and that an industrial road would harm the migration and survival rates of caribou that are already threatened by climate change.

It also found that building the road could speed the thawing of the permafrost, ground that has been frozen in some cases for hundreds or thousands of years. When permafrost melts, ground can become unstable, causing rockslides, floods and damage to Indigenous communities. Melting permafrost can also release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.

“The ice-rich soils in the proposed corridors would warm and potentially thaw with or without construction,” the review found. “However, with construction, the site-specific area soils are anticipated to experience amplified or accelerated thawing,” the agency wrote.

Without the road, the copper deposits are likely to remain untouched. The decision drew an angry backlash from Alaska’s two U.S. senators, both Republican, and its sole member of the House, Mary Peltola, a Democrat, all of whom support the road.

In a post on X, Ms. Peltola wrote, “Alaska has a wealth of natural resources that can be responsibly developed to help boost domestic manufacturing and innovation, but we need to be able to access those deposits.”

Alaska leaders argue the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 guaranteed a right of way across federal lands for the proposed Ambler Road.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, the state’s development bank, filed for federal permits to build the road in 2015 and has approved about $44.8 million toward the project. Ambler Metals has described the road as an “urgent” necessity to provide domestic minerals for national security and clean energy to address climate change.

It has estimated that the road and an associated mine would create more than 3,900 jobs in an area of high unemployment, while generating more than $300 million in annual wages, adding revenue to state and local coffers.

Tribes and environmental groups have questioned those assumptions as overly optimistic and said there are larger reserves in parts of the country that are less ecologically sensitive.

Lisa Friedman is a Times reporter who writes about how governments are addressing climate change and the effects of those policies on communities. More about Lisa Friedman