Characterizations of a Selenized Cu(In1-xGax)Se2 Thin Film Absorber Layer Fabricated By a Three-Stage Hybrid Method

The photovoltaic technology has remained one of the favored green technologies to meet the today's energy production demand with the solar cell offering a means of tapping into this source of energy. In this study, the 3-stage hybrid (3SH) method was employed consisting of spray pyrolysis and thermal evaporation to deposit the quaternary copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGSe) thin film solar cell absorber layer. The choice of CIGSe semiconductor for the solar cell application stems from some of the desirable qualities which include direct and variable energy bandgap (1.04 - 1.65 eV), high absorption coefficient (≈10⁵ cm^-1) and stability. The as-deposited films were selenized to complete the fabrication of the CIGSe absorber layer. The films were characterized for the structural, morphological and electrical properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Hall measurements.