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arXiv · 1703.06366

The Effect of Temperature on Cu-K-In-Se Thin Films

Christopher P. Muzzillo·Ho Ming Tong·Timothy J. Anderson
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Abstract

Films of Cu-K-In-Se were co-evaporated at varied K/(K+Cu) compositions and substrate temperatures (with constant (K+Cu)/In ~ 0.85). Increased Na composition on the substrate's surface and decreased growth temperature were both found to favor Cu1-xKxInSe2 (CKIS) alloy formation, relative to mixed-phase CuInSe2 + KInSe2 formation. Structures from X-ray diffraction (XRD), band gaps, resistivities, minority carrier lifetimes and carrier concentrations from time-resolved photoluminescence were in agreement with previous reports, where low K/(K+Cu) composition films exhibited properties promising for photovoltaic (PV) absorbers. Films grown at 400-500 C were then annealed to 600 C under Se, which caused K loss by evaporation in proportion to initial K/(K+Cu) composition. Similar to growth temperature, annealing drove CKIS alloy consumption and CuInSe2 + KInSe2 production, as evidenced by high temperature XRD. Annealing also decomposed KInSe2 and formed K2In12Se19. At high temperature the KInSe2 crystal lattice gradually contracted as temperature and time increased, as well as just time. Evaporative loss of K during annealing could accompany the generation of vacancies on K lattice sites, and may explain the KInSe2 lattice contraction. This knowledge of Cu-K-In-Se material chemistry may be used to predict and control minor phase impurities in Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2 PV absorbers-where impurities below typical detection limits may have played a role in recent world record PV efficiencies that utilized KF post-deposition treatments.

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Christopher P. Muzzillo, Ho Ming Tong, Timothy J. Anderson. 2017-03-18. The Effect of Temperature on Cu-K-In-Se Thin Films. https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.06366

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