Implementation of various colors in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin-film solar cells by diffractive nanostructures

Abstract

With the increasing use of building-integrated photovoltaic technology, it has become necessary for solar panels to blend in with their surroundings. Diffractive nanostructures can be used to reduce optical losses and create colorful solar cells. To make colors on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin-film solar cells, we fabricated diffractive nanostructures by using nanoscale imprinting and transfer lithography methods. And we investigated how the material types and pattern shapes of the nanostructures influence the optical properties of solar cells, such as the short-circuit current density (JSC), coordination of color appearance, and color quality. We used two types of pillars and grating nanostructures of SiO2 and TiO2 layers on CIGS thin-film solar cells to produce various colors. The SiO2 demonstrated an increase in JSC without significant loss of color quality compared to TiO2. By utilizing a hexagonally arrayed pillar pattern, colors are observed at various angles on an axis different from the incident light, unlike colors observed only at a single angle in the grating structure. The nanoimprinting lithography process allowed us to produce high-quality nanostructures on both rigid glass and flexible stainless-steel substrates.