Presentation + Paper
23 September 2015 The impact of atmospheric species on the degradation of CIGS solar cells and molybdenum films
Mirjam Theelen, Christopher Foster, Henk Steijvers, Nicolas Barreau, Corné Frijters, Zeger Vroon, Miro Zeman
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
CIGS solar cells and non-covered molybdenum areas and scribes were exposed to liquid water purged with the atmospheric gases carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2) and air in order to investigate their degradation behavior. The samples were analyzed by electrical, compositional and optical measurements before, during and after exposure in order to follow the degradation behavior of these samples as a function of time.

The CIGS solar cells showed a rapid decrease in conversion efficiency when exposed to water purged with a combination of CO2 and N2 as well as to water purged with air, while their efficiency was slowly reduced in unpurged water and water purged with N2 or O2. Cross-section SEM showed that the exposure of samples to H2O with large concentrations of CO2 led to the dissolution of the ZnO:Al layer, likely starting from the grain boundaries. Preliminary studies showed that molybdenum films and scribes degraded in the combined presence of H2O and O2, while they were stable in the presence of H2O combined with N2 or CO2. Degradation was the most severe on positions where the molybdenum was mechanically damaged and the MoSe2 film was removed before exposure, for example in the middle of the P3 scribe. Exposure to H2O and O2 led to the disappearance of the metallic molybdenum, leaving behind an insoluble red brown material, which is likely a molybdenum oxide such as MoO2.
Conference Presentation
© (2015) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mirjam Theelen, Christopher Foster, Henk Steijvers, Nicolas Barreau, Corné Frijters, Zeger Vroon, and Miro Zeman "The impact of atmospheric species on the degradation of CIGS solar cells and molybdenum films", Proc. SPIE 9563, Reliability of Photovoltaic Cells, Modules, Components, and Systems VIII, 95630H (23 September 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2186316
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KEYWORDS
Molybdenum

Copper indium gallium selenide

Solar cells

Oxygen

Scanning electron microscopy

Carbon dioxide

Glasses

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