Hybrid silver nanowires/nanogold particles film for a Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin film solar cell

The objective of this study was to examine the application of hybrid Ag nanowire/Au nanoparticle (HAA) films in the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin film solar cells. The results show that 100 °C is an adequate drying temperature for the HAA film. Using an HAA film results in a higher Jsc than that obtained using an indium tin oxide (ITO) film, but also results in a lower Voc value. The higher Jsc of the HAA film is likely due to the fact that its higher surface roughness facilitates photon absorption. SEM images revealed that the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) become embedded in the CdS or i-ZnO layer, which can cause a short circuit in the i-ZnO interface and thereby result in a lower Voc. The use of the HAA film and ITO film as the window layer resulted in a device efficiency of 10.29% and 10.18%, respectively.