Chemical compositional non-uniformity and its effects on CIGS solar cell performance at the nm-scale

Compositional uniformity of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells was studied, using thin cross sections of complete cells prepared by focused ion beam (FIB) and examined in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). This methodology revealed the compositional variations at the nm-scale. The Ga and In compositions vary not only between neighboring grains, but also inside individual single crystal grains along their growth direction, which explains the electrical non-uniformity seen in electron beam-induced current (EBIC) measurements. The improved compositional uniformity with increase in sample preparation temperature correlates with higher solar cell efficiency.