Effect of Neon Ion Implantation on the Electrical Propertie of CIGS Photovoltaic Cells

Abstract

The global energy demand is huge. Conventional fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal are running out fast. These fossil fuels produce a huge amount of carbon dioxide, which is one of the greenhouse gases identified as the main cause of the global warming of the planet. More and more alternative sources of energy are being used: renewable and environmentally friendly. Solar energy is one of them. The photovoltaic sector converts solar radiation into electricity. This is done using photovoltaic cells. The highest conversion yields are obtained from mono-crystalline silicon cells. mono-crystalline silicon becomes relatively expensive, the ternary and quaternary chalcopyrite semiconductors are a viable economic alternative. Thin films chalcopyrite (CuInGaSe2) semiconductors have gained their place in solar energy harvesting. CIGS solar cells are increasingly efficient every year. It has been shown that the ion implantation affects the structure by changing or introducing defects. This in turn affects the electric properties of the material and may increase the efficiency of the solar cells. Thin films of Cu(InGa)Se2 deposited by low cost process were studied by simulating the ion implantation using SRIM software. Different energies and different doses of implantation were simulated in order to analyze the electrical properties of photovoltaic cells.

Keywords

• Ion implantation
• CIGS
• Thin films
• Solar cells
• SRIM