Thin Solid Films, Vol.572, 61-67, 2014
Effect of sputtering conditions of co-sputtered Cu-In-Ga precursors on Cu(InGa)Se-2 photovoltaic absorber formation
CuGa and In targets were simultaneously deposited onto Mo-coated low-alkali glass with different sputtering powers, such as 15 W-CuGa/40W-In (Case I) and 70 W-CuGa/85W-In (Case II), to control the stacking density and thickness of CuGaIn precursor films. Precursors were then selenized in a tube-type rapid thermal processing system under a Se atmosphere. Temperature-dependent phase evolution during the selenization of each precursor has been investigated by in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction technique. Comparison of the isothermal scan results at 300 degrees C indicated that the Case II precursor fabricated using a higher sputtering power was selenized faster than the Case I precursor prepared using a lower sputtering power. Another set of experiments using precursors with different Cu/III atomic ratio was also performed. It was concluded that the compositional change in the CuGaIn precursor in the range of Cu/III = 0.78-1.06 and Ga/III = 0.24-0.32 at the given sputtering conditions (e.g., CuGa power = 70W and In power = 70-100W) did not affect the selenization rate significantly. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.