Synthesis of CIGS Thin Film via Non-Vacuum Processes
CIGS thin film solar cell has been considered to one of the most promising way to convert sunlight into electrical energy due to its high efficiency as well as high durability. The obstacles of the CIGS solar cell fabrication for commercial application may be relatively difficult manufacturing synthetic method and high processing costs because it is conventionally fabricated by vacuum co-evaporation techniques. Here, we suggest the simpler and lower cost synthetic method of CIGS thin film which can be applicable in continuous role-to-role process by applying the paste coating process. Specifically, CIG oxide powder was firstly synthesized by a co-deposition method from Cu, In, and Ga nitrate by controlling the composition of each compound. CIG oxide was then mixed and dispersed with SeO2 followed by addition of surfactant and adhesive. After deposition and annealing of the CIGS oxide paste on the conducting glass or metal plate, the thin film shows typical XRD patterns of the CIGS thin film. The film was further characterized by XPS, SEM, and TEM to confirm high quality of the film.