Physical Vapor Deposition Synthesis of Cu 3 BiS 3 for Application in Thin Film Photovoltaics

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Physical Vapor Deposition Synthesis of Cu3BiS3 for Application in Thin Film Photovoltaics Nathan J. Gerein and Joel A. Haber Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G2, Canada ABSTRACT The development of novel solar absorbers and device configurations that incorporate only materials which are cost effective, abundant, and non-toxic may be required for widespread deployment of photovoltaics. Cu3BiS3 (Eg=1.2 eV) has been previously reported to be a suitable solar absorber for use in thin film photovoltaic devices. We have developed a physical vapor deposition synthesis for Cu3BiS3, and will employ combinatorial methods to identify novel device configurations in an effort to produce a device exhibiting sufficient efficiency to capture the interest of the photovoltaics community. INTRODUCTION Extensive research and development has resulted in significant advances in thin film photovoltaics, and led to the commercialization of technologies based on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) and CdTe. However, it has been reported that material availability may limit the electricity generating capacity of these devices to 4% of current demand for CdTe, and 1% for CIGS [1]. As a consequence, the development of new semiconductors for use in thin film photovoltaic devices may be required. In an effort to introduce new materials and devices we will use combinatorial methods to identify promising device configurations for known but previously undeveloped solar absorbers. Other researchers have previously reported the synthesis of Cu3BiS3 (Eg,direct=1.2 eV) using the solid-state reaction of chemical bath deposited CuS and thermally evaporated Bi films [2]. Optical and electronic properties of the resultant thin film suggest that Cu3BiS3 is suitable for use as a solar absorber in photovoltaic devices [2]; however, to date no successful devices employing Cu3BiS3 as a solar absorber have been reported. We have developed a thin film synthesis for Cu3BiS3 using physical vapor deposition methods, and have targeted this solar absorber for device development using thin film combinatorial methods. The use of bismuth containing compounds for thin film PV applications is also attractive since it is non-toxic, and would also serve to raise the energy production ceiling of thin film photovoltaic technologies. The U.S Geological Survey lists current reserves of bismuth at 330,000 metric tons, while current indium reserves are only 2,500 metric tons [3]. Bismuth is easily obtained directly from a bismuth ore, or refined as a secondary product from other ores, while indium is only produced as a secondary product from refining other metals. Herein we report results on the thin film synthesis of Cu3BiS3 using physical vapor deposition techniques. We also outline our methods and strategy for the combinatorial identification of promising device configurations.

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EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS Our laboratory equipment includes a UHV thin film combinatorial deposition system capable of executing a wide variety of thin film syntheses and com

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