Growth and Characterization of Chalcopyrite Nanocrystals: Beyond Conventional Thin Films
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1012-Y02-07
Growth and Characterization of Chalcopyrite Nanocrystals: Beyond Conventional Thin Films David Fuertes MarrÛn1, Sebastian Lehmann1, Justyna Kosk2, Sascha Sadewasser1 , and Martha Ch. Lux-Steiner1 1 Solar Energy, Hahn-Meitner Institut, Glienicker Str. 100, Berlin, 14109, Germany 2 Gdansk University of Technology, Danzig, Poland
ABSTRACT A dry method for the growth of highly-structured Cu-containing chalcopyrite material on solid substrates, based on the use of metallic precursors, is described. Nanocrystals, submicrometer polycrystalline dots, and macroscopic clusters have been grown, either as isolated units or alternatively as embedded structures in a matrix of a binary chalcogenide compound, by adjusting processing parameters. Vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) induced growth has been used for the growth of chalcopyrite nanowires. Examples of material characterization by scanning probe techniques are shown, demonstrating the suitability of the proposed growth method. INTRODUCTION Devices based on Cu-containing chalcopyrite absorbers are currently leading the efficiency tables of thin-film solar cell technologies, with figures around 20 % [1]. Industrial upscaling of successful laboratory-based processing is the following step toward production and commercialization of thin-film photovoltaics (PV). Among the issues involved in the transition from laboratory to plant production, ensuring film homogeneity over large areas by means of a robust process is of paramount importance. For this reason, typical methods for the growth of chalcopyrite thin films result in closed, laterally homogeneous layers, which allow rapid and easy further processing of the solar cells [2]. However, chalcopyrites have unique properties, like high absorption coefficients, complex valence band structures, forgiving defect chemistries, etc., that make them interesting not only in the field of large-area photovoltaics, but also in different branches of microelectronics, including sensors, spintronics, non-linear optical devices, among others. In all these fields, and partly in contrast to the requirements of photovoltaics mass production, patterning and lateral structuring at reduced dimensions is commonplace. Even within the field of photovoltaics, the possibility of implementing high-structuring schemes of active materials might be of relevance, e.g., for the realization of point contacts and/or passivation approaches. For these reasons, the development of strategies aiming at the growth of highly structured material is expected, first, to become relevant as required by new applications, and in turn, to widen the potential applicability of chalcopyrites beyond standard PV-devices. Last, but not least, the study of complex structures can provide further knowledge on the basics of growth mechanisms, structural, and electronic properties of chalcopyrite materials. In this contribution we propose a method for the growth of laterally structured chalcopyrite materials of the type Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 based on the deposition of metal precursors [3].
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