CIGS Thin Films for Cd-Free Solar Cells by One-Step Sputtering Process

Cu(In1-x Ga (x) )Se-2 (CIGS) thin films were deposited by a one-step radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering process using a quaternary CIGS target. The influence of substrate temperature on the composition, structure, and optical properties of the CIGS films was investigated. All the CIGS films exhibited the chalcopyrite structure with a preferential orientation along the (112) direction. The CIGS film deposited at 623 K showed significant improvement in film crystallinity and surface morphology compared to films deposited at 523 and 573 K. To simplify the manufacturing procedure of solar cells and avoid the use of the toxic element Cd, the properties of ZnS films prepared by RF sputtering were also investigated. The results revealed that the sputtered ZnS film exhibits good lattice matching with the sputtered CIGS film with significantly lower optical absorption loss. Finally, all-sputtered Cd-free CIGS-based heterojunction solar cells with the structure SLG/Mo/CIGS/ZnS/AZO/Al grids were fabricated without post-selenization. Furthermore, the results demonstrated the feasibility of using a full sputtering process for the fabrication of Cd-free CIGS-based solar cell.