This report describes the I-III-VI2 compounds that are developing into a promising material to meet the energy requirement of the world. CuInSe2 (CIS) and its alloy with Ga and S have shown long-term stability and highest conversion efficiency of 19.5%. Among the various ways of preparing CuIn1-xGaxSe2-ySy (CIGSS)/CdS thin-film solar cells, co-evaporation and sputtering techniques are the most promising. Sputtering is an established process for very high-throughput manufacturing. ARCO Solar, now Shell Solar, pioneered the work in CIS using the sputtering technique. The two-stage process developed by ARCO Solar involved sputtering of a copper and indium layer on molybdenum-coated glass as the first step. In the second step, the copper-indium layers were exposed to a selenium-bearing gas such as hydrogen selenide (H2Se) mixed with argon. The hydrogen selenide breaks down and leaves selenium, which reacts and mixes with the copper and indium in such a way to produce very high-quality CIS absorber layer. Sputtering technology has the added advantage of being easily scaled up and promotes roll-to-roll production on flexible substrates. Preliminary experiments were carried out. ZnO/ZnO:Al deposition by RF magnetron sputtering and CdS deposition by chemical-bath deposition are being carried out on a routine basis.

This report describes our scientific understanding of the CIGS materials system, solar cells, and processes. Through DOE support, the investigators developed much of the technology and device fabrication infrastructure applied to electrodeposited (ED) materials. The electrodeposition process is simple and fast, and can synthesize multinary precursors for subsequent processing into CuInxGa1-xSe2(CIGS) thin-film absorbers for solar cells. The device fabricated by using electrodeposited CIGS precursor layers resulted in total-area conversion efficiencies up to 15.4%. As-deposited precursors are Cu-rich CIGS. Additional In, Ga, and Se (up to 50%) are added to the precursor films by physical vapor deposition (PVD) to adjust the final semiconductor film composition to about Cu0.95In0.75Ga0.25Se2. The ED device parameters are compared with those of an 18.8% PVD device.