Effects of Antimony Doping on Cu(In1-x,Gax)Se2 Thin Films and Solar Cells

The effects of antimony (Sb) doping into Cu(In1-x,Ga-x)Se-2 (CIGS) thin films and solar cells have been investigated. 10-50-nm-thick Sb thin layers were deposited onto Mo-coated sodalime glass (SLG) and SiOx-coated SLG substrates by vacuum evaporation. CIGS thin films were then deposited by a three-stage process at substrate temperatures of 450-550 degrees C. The grain growth of CIGS thin films was enhanced, and the open-circuit voltage and hence the conversion efficiency improved with the Sb doping when the SLG substrates were used. However, little or no effect was observed when the alkali barrier SiOx layer was deposited on SLG substrates. As a result, we found that Sb doping is beneficial for improving the cell performance when sodium exists simultaneously in CIGS layers. (C) 2012 The Japan Society of Applied Physics