Novel Inline Deposition System for High Performance CIGS Solar Cells

CIGS（铜铟镓硒）太阳能电池结构已被确定为下一代太阳能发电技术的重要组成部分。它们的优点是比晶体器件的生产成本低得多，而且比其他非晶体光伏材料的效率更高。目前，CIGS太阳能电池通常使用三种不同的沉积系统生产——两种用于电触点，一种用于CIGS层。该项目旨在通过将所有过程合并到一个系统中来消除对三个独立系统的需求。这提供了两个重要的优势，最终将导致提高这一进程的竞争力；初始资本设备成本将低于三个单独的真空沉积系统，并且该系统的在线特性将允许比传统批量系统更高的吞吐量。该系统还将演示卷对卷涂层和连续吞吐量系统的概念验证。除了上述制造优势外，该系统还将被拉夫堡大学CREST（可再生能源系统中心）经验丰富的CIGS开发团队广泛使用，该团队将开发新型高效CIGS电池结构/进一步提高CIGS技术与主流能源相比的竞争力。高性能CIGS的工艺开发将通过拉夫堡PI的现有专业知识以及其经验丰富的团队通过集成真空沉积系统方法标准化商业CIGS生产程序来建立。设备不同材料层的沉积和表征是另一个重要方面，也将通过拉夫堡现有的材料表征设施在其开发的各个阶段进行。最后，从系统中产生的成品设备将使用CREST的现有设备在小型和大面积（微型模块）CIGS设备上进行性能测试，其中激光刻划以及标准大面积模块测试太阳能模拟器可用。

CIGS (copper indium gallium sellenide) solar cell structures have been identified as technologically important for the next generation of solar power production. They offer the advantages of being substantially less expensive to produce than crystalline devices and offer higher efficiencies than other non-crystalline photovoltaic materials. Currently, CIGS solar cells are typically produced using three separate deposition systems - two for the electrical contacts and one for the CIGS layer. The project aims to eliminate the requirement for three separate systems by combining all the processes into one system. This offers two important advantages that will ultimately result in the improved competitiveness of the process; the initial capital equipment cost will be lower than for three individual vacuum deposition systems and the inline nature of the system will allow higher throughput than conventional batch systems. The system will also demonstrate the proof of concept for roll-to-roll coating and continuous throughput systems. In addition to the manufacturing advantages described above the system will be used extensively by the experienced CIGS development team at CREST (Centre for Renewable Energy Systems), Loughborough University will develop novel high efficiency CIGS cell structures / further increasing the competitiveness of CIGS technology in comparison to mainstream energy sources. The process developement for high performance CIGS would be established through the available expertise with the PI at Loughborough along with its experienced team in standardising the procedure for commercial CIGS production through an integrated vaccum deposition system approach. The depostion and characterisation of different material layers of the device is another important aspect that will also be done at various stages of its development through the existing materials characterisation facilities at Loughborough. Finally the finished device resulting out of the system will be tested for its performance using the existing faciltities at CREST on small as well as large area (minimodule) CIGS devices, for which laser scribing as well standard large area module testing Solar simulators are available at place.