Thin Film Solar Cell

In recent years, the development of new thin-film solar cell materials and processes has attracted significant research attention in the renewable energy sector. ASMAC has received requests from several large corporations in this field to provide solutions for their analytical needs. (For more details, please click here.)

Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) Analysis
Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) is one of the emerging thin-film solar cell materials. As it comprises four different elements, it has a more complex composition than other thin-film materials such as Amorphous Silicon (a-Si) and Cadmium Telluride (CdTe). It is crucial to precisely control the proportion of each of these four elements to achieve optimal solar conversion efficiency.

To analyze the elemental composition of the CIGS absorbing layer, common surface analysis techniques such as X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Dynamic Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (D-SIMS), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) can be employed. However, these techniques fall under the category of micro-analysis, and the resulting data may not fully represent the thin-film composition on a macro scale.

To address these challenges, ASMAC has developed several digestion routines for the chemical composition analysis of CIGS solid thin films deposited on various substrates, as well as CIG alloy sputter materials and chemicals in the CIGS electro-deposition bath. By combining these methods with the aforementioned analysis techniques, our clients can quantitatively assess the compositions of these four elements on both micro and macro scales. Additionally, semi-quantitative compositional distribution across lateral dimensions and depth can be determined, enabling clients to fine-tune subsequent process development and quality control in their production lines.