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Effect of ZnO buffer layer on AZO film properties and photovoltaic applications

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Abstract

Aluminum-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent conducting films were deposited on glass substrates with and without intrinsic ZnO (i-ZnO) buffer layers by a home made and low cost radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system at room temperature in pure argon ambient and under a low vacuum level. The films were examined and characterized for electrical, optical, and structural properties for the application of CIGS solar cells. The influence of sputter power, deposition pressure, film thickness and residual pressure on electrical and optical properties of layered films of AZO, i-ZnO and AZO/i-ZnO was investigated. The optimization of coating process parameters (RF power, sputtering pressure, thickness) was carried out. The effects of i-ZnO buffer layer on AZO films were investigated. By inserting thin i-ZnO layers with a thickness not greater than 125 nm under the AZO layers, both the carrier concentration and Hall mobility were increased. The resistivity of these layered films was lower than that of single layered AZO films. The related mechanisms and plasma physics were discussed. Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells were fabricated by incorporating bi-layer ZnO films on CdS/CIGS/Mo/glass substrates. Efficiencies of the order of 7–8% were achieved for the manufactured CIGS solar cells (4–5 cm2 in size) without antireflective films. The results demonstrated that RF sputtered layered AZO/i-ZnO films are suitable for application in low cost CIGS solar cells as transparent conductive electrodes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 10774046) and Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission funds (No. 09JC1404600, No. 0852nm06100 and No. 08230705400).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Engineering Research Center for Nanophotonics & Advanced Instrument, Ministry of Education, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, North Zhongshan Rd. 3663, Shanghai, 200062, People’s Republic of China

    J. H. Shi, S. M. Huang, J. B. Chu, H. B. Zhu, Z. A. Wang, X. D. Li, D. W. Zhang, Z. Sun & W. J. Cheng

  2. State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructures, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, People’s Republic of China

    F. Q. Huang

  3. Advanced Materials Technology Centre, Singapore Polytechnic, 500 Dover Rd., Singapore, 139651, Singapore

    X. J. Yin

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  1. J. H. Shi
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Correspondence to S. M. Huang.

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Shi, J.H., Huang, S.M., Chu, J.B. et al. Effect of ZnO buffer layer on AZO film properties and photovoltaic applications. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 21, 1005–1013 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-009-0028-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-009-0028-8

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