- In full:
- copper indium gallium selenide solar cell
- Related Topics:
- copper
- thin-film solar cell
CIGS solar cell
-
What is a CIGS solar cell?
A CIGS solar cell is a thin-film photovoltaic device that transforms sunlight into electricity using semiconductor layers of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). They can be manufactured on flexible substrates, suiting them for applications where crystalline photovoltaics aren't suitable. CIGS cells offer fewer health and environmental concerns than cadmium telluride solar cells.
CIGS film acts as a direct bandgap semiconductor and forms a heterojunction. Light enters through the transparent front ohmic contact and is absorbed into the CIGS layer, forming electron-hole pairs. A depletion region separates electrons from holes, generating current. While lab efficiencies reached 23.2% in 2014, commercial modules attain around 14% conversion.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What materials are used to make CIGS solar cells?
CIGS solar cells use semiconductor layers of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) to absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. The thin film is deposited on a substrate, such as soda-lime glass, metal, or a polyamide film, to form the rear surface contact. If a nonconductive material is chosen for the substrate, a metal such as molybdenum is used as a conductor.
The front surface contact conducts electricity and is transparent to allow light to reach the cell, and materials such as indium tin oxide, doped zinc oxide, or advanced organic films based on nano-engineered carbon are used to provide that contact. A trace amount of sodium is also used.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How do CIGS solar cells turn sunlight into electricity?
CIGS solar cells use semiconductor layers of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) to absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. Light enters through a transparent front contact and is absorbed into the CIGS layer, where electron-hole pairs are formed. A depletion region at the heterojunction of the p- and n-type materials of the cadmium-doped surface of the CIGS cell separates the electrons from the holes, allowing them to generate an electrical current (see also solar cell). In 2014, laboratory experiments produced a record efficiency of 23.2 percent by a CIGS cell with a modified surface structure, but commercial CIGS cells have lower efficiencies.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why are CIGS solar cells called "thin-film" solar cells?
CIGS solar cells are called "thin-film" solar cells because they are composed of micron-thick layers of photon-absorbing material, specifically copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), deposited onto a flexible substrate. The thinness of the film reduces material costs and enables flexibility, suiting them for diverse applications like integration into vehicles and architecture. While traditionally more costly, ongoing improvements in CIGS solar cells enhance their potential to be a disruptive technology.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How are CIGS solar cells different from traditional silicon solar cells?
CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) solar cells and traditional silicon solar cells differ in materials, manufacturing, and applications. CIGS cells use thin films of copper indium selenide and copper gallium selenide, offering lower costs and fewer environmental concerns than cadmium telluride cells.
CIGS cells can be manufactured on flexible substrates, making them suitable for diverse applications, including integration into vehicles and architectural designs. They are also lighter and more shatter-resistant than silicon cells. Silicon solar cells rely on the semiconductor properties of silicon, doped with elements like boron or arsenic, and are essential in electronics. While silicon cells are more common, CIGS technology is still in the early stages of commercialization but has the potential to become a disruptive technology as performance improves.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some advantages and challenges of using CIGS solar cell technology?
CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) solar cells are a thin-film photovoltaic technology that directly converts sunlight into electricity. CIGS solar cells can be manufactured on flexible substrates, which makes them suited for a variety of applications where crystalline photovoltaics and other rigid products are not suitable. They are also a fraction of the weight of silicon cells and can be manufactured without glass to be shatter-resistant.
Although CIGS solar cells are considered to be in the early stages of large-scale commercialization, they can be produced using a process that has the potential to reduce the cost of producing photovoltaic devices. As the performance, uniformity, and reliability of CIGS products improve, the technology has the potential to expand its market share significantly and may eventually become a “disruptive” technology.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
CIGS solar cell, thin-film photovoltaic device that uses semiconductor layers of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) to absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. Although CIGS solar cells are considered to be in the early stages of large-scale commercialization, they can be produced by using a process that has the potential to reduce the cost of producing photovoltaic devices. As the performance, uniformity, and reliability of CIGS products improve, the technology has the potential to expand its market share significantly and may eventually become a “disruptive” technology. Additionally, given the hazards of cadmium extraction and use, CIGS solar cells offer fewer health and environmental concerns than the cadmium telluride solar cells with which they compete.
CIGS solar cells feature a thin film of copper indium selenide and copper gallium selenide and a trace amount of sodium. That CIGS film acts as a direct bandgap semiconductor and forms a heterojunction, as the bandgaps of the two different materials are unequal. The thin-film cell is deposited onto a substrate, such as soda-lime glass, metal, or a polyamide film, to form the rear surface contact. If a nonconductive material is chosen for the substrate, a metal such as molybdenum is used as a conductor. The front surface contact must be able to conduct electricity and be transparent to allow light to reach the cell. Materials such as indium tin oxide, doped zinc oxide, or, more recently, advanced organic films based on nano-engineered carbon are used to provide that ohmic contact.
The cells are designed so that light enters through the transparent front ohmic contact and is absorbed into the CIGS layer. There electron-hole pairs are formed. A “depletion region” is formed at the heterojunction of the p- and n-type materials of the cadmium-doped surface of the CIGS cell. That separates the electrons from the holes and allows them to generate an electrical current (see also solar cell). In 2014, laboratory experiments produced a record efficiency of 23.2 percent by a CIGS cell with a modified surface structure. However, commercial CIGS cells have lower efficiencies, with most modules attaining about 14 percent conversion.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
During the manufacturing process, the deposition of CIGS films onto a substrate is frequently done in a vacuum, using either an evaporative or a sputtering process. Copper, gallium, and indium are deposited in turn and annealed with a selenide vapour, resulting in the final CIGS structure. Deposition can be done without a vacuum, using nanoparticles or electroplating, though those techniques require more development to be economically efficient at a large-scale. Novel approaches are being developed that are more similar to printing technologies than traditional silicon solar-cell fabrication. In one process, a printer lays droplets of semiconducting ink onto an aluminum foil. A subsequent printing process deposits additional layers and the front contact on top of that layer; the foil is then cut into sheets.
CIGS solar cells can be manufactured on flexible substrates, which makes them suited for a variety of applications for which current crystalline photovoltaics and other rigid products are not suitable. For example, flexible CIGS solar cells give architects a greater range of possibilities in styling and design. CIGS solar cells are also a fraction of the weight of silicon cells and can be manufactured without glass to be shatter-resistant. They can be integrated into vehicles such as tractor trailers, airplanes, and cars, as their low profile minimizes air resistance and they do not add significant weight.