Recent progress of CIGS thin film R&D at NEWRC

Two series of CIGS thin films were deposited on Molybdenum coated soda lime glass (SLG/Mo) substrates, using physical vapor deposition (PVD) 3-stage process. The 3-stage deposition process was carried out as such during the deposition of the first series of CIGS films the substrate was in linear motion; whereas for the second series of CIGS films the substrate was held stationary during the deposition. The CIGS films' structure was examined by θ/2θ X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) characterization technique. Whereas, the chemical composition of the films was examined by Electron Probe Micro-Analyzer (EPMA) coupled with Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometer (WDS). Auger Electron Spectrometer (AES) was applied to depth profile the chemical composition through the entire thickness of the CIGS and Mo films. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to examine the topography and to determine the root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness of the CIGS films. The device fabrication was completed and its performance was evaluated at National Renewable Energy Laboratories (NREL) in USA under standard conditions of 1000W/m
²
and 25°C. Eventually, the progress of R&D work concerns the CIGS thin film based solar cell that is carried out at NEWRC facilities in Abu Dhabi, UAE is presented in this paper through this research work.