PACE (Plasma-Assisted Co-Evaporation)
Processing
Copper-indium-gallium-selenide
(CIGS) films are wide bandgap semiconductors that
are employed as absorbers in photovoltaic devices. By partially replacing selenium with
sulfur (CIGSS) one may engineer the bandgap of this material in order to optimize
photovoltaic performance. Selenization/sulfurization of metallic
precursor films is typically done thermally using elemental S2/Se2 vapors or gases
like H2S/H2Se. We are developing novel plasma-assisted co-evaporation
(PACE) processing techniques for this step. Anticipated advantages include temperature reduction, improved material utilization, and better
control of the S/Se ratio.
This industrial/academic collaboration is managed by Dr.
Ingrid Reppins of ITN
Energy Systems. The student team includes PhD candidate Sreenivas
Kosaraju, MS candidate Gunnar Recht, and
undergraduate researcher John Harvey.
This project is
supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) through a subcontract with ITN Energy Systems.
