Carrier transport and performance limit of semi-transparent photovoltaics: CuIn$_{1-x}$Ga$_x$Se$_2$ as a case study

TL;DR

This paper investigates the carrier transport physics of semi-transparent CuIn$_{1-x}$Ga$_x$Se$_2$ photovoltaics, revealing the factors limiting efficiency and providing models to project performance limits for building-integrated applications.

Contribution

It offers a detailed carrier transport analysis and a thickness-dependent model for ultra-thin CIGS-based semi-transparent solar cells, highlighting their efficiency limits.

Findings

Efficiency limit is approximately 10% for 25% AVT in practical scenarios.

Short-circuit current is dominated by carriers in the depletion region.

Bulk recombination and grain boundaries significantly impact device performance.

Abstract

Semi-transparent photovoltaic devices for building integrated applications have the potential to provide simultaneous power generation and natural light penetration. CuIn$_{1-x}$Ga$_x$Se$_2$ (CIGS) has been established as a mature technology for thin-film photovoltaics, however, its potential for Semi-Transparent Photovoltaics (STPV) is yet to be explored. In this paper, we present its carrier transport physics explaining the trend seen in recently published experiments. STPV requires deposition of films of only a few hundred nanometers to make them transparent and manifests several unique properties compared to a conventional thin-film solar cell. Our analysis shows that the short-circuit current, Jsc is dominated by carriers generated in the depletion region, making it nearly independent of bulk and back-surface recombination. The bulk recombination, which limits the open-circuit voltage Voc, appears to be higher than usual attributable to numerous grain boundaries. When the absorber layer is reduced below 500 nm, grain size reduces resulting in more grain boundaries and higher resistance. This produces an inverse relationship between series resistance and absorber thickness. We also present a thickness-dependent model of shunt resistance showing its impact in these ultra-thin devices. For various scenarios of bulk and interface recombinations, shunt and series resistances, AVT and composition of CuIn$_{1-x}$Ga$_x$Se$_2$, we project the efficiency limit which - for most practical cases - is found to be $\leq$10% for AVT $\geq$25%.