Impact of DC-power during Mo back contact sputtering on the alkali distribution in Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based thin film solar cells

DC-sputtered Mo back contact layers were deposited on soda-lime glass (SLG) with different power densities applied on the Mo target to study its influence on the photovoltaic performance of Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based (CIGSe) solar cell. CIGSe absorber was then deposited simultaneously on these SLG/Mo, following the 3-stage process. These devices have good but different photovoltaic performance (> 16% efficiency without MgF2 coating). To find a material origin, secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) profiles were carried out on complete cells, revealing that Na and K content and distribution in each layer depend on the deposition conditions of the back contact. Even before the CIGSe deposition and despite similar morphologies, Na content can vary 10-fold from one Mo layer to another. The same applies to the absorber; when grown on a different Mo they present the same grain boundary density but different alkali contents in bulk or at interfaces. This has an influence on the compositional grading in absorber, confirmed by X-ray diffraction and SIMS.