Transparent Conducting ZnO:B Thin Films Grown by Ultraviolet Light Assisted Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition Using Triethylboron for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells

Abstract

High-efficiency cadmium-free Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin-film solar cells have been fabricated using a zinc compound buffer layer deposited by the chemical bath deposition (CBD) process. However, the zinc compound buffer layers such as ZnS(O,OH) are prone to plasma-induced damage during the subsequent ZnO sputtering process. A process causing less damage such as metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is thus required for ZnO-based transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layers. In the present work, the boron-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:B) films were grown by MOCVD using diethyl zinc (DEZ), H2O, and low-toxicity triethylboron (TEB). An UV-assisted MOCVD process was developed in order to reduce the resistivity of ZnO:B films. As a result, the resisitivity significantly decreased together with the increased electron mobility and carrier concentration. The comparison of performance was also carried out for the ZnS(O,OH)/CIGS solar cells with MOCVD-deposited ZnO:B and sputter-deposited ZnO:Al window layers.