Chemical instability at chalcogenide surfaces impacts chalcopyrite devices well beyond the surface.

Nature Communications
Diego ColombaraSusanne Siebentritt

Abstract

The electrical and optoelectronic properties of materials are determined by the chemical potentials of their constituents. The relative density of point defects is thus controlled, allowing to craft microstructure, trap densities and doping levels. Here, we show that the chemical potentials of chalcogenide materials near the edge of their existence region are not only determined during growth but also at room temperature by post-processing. In particular, we study the generation of anion vacancies, which are critical defects in chalcogenide semiconductors and topological insulators. The example of CuInSe2 photovoltaic semiconductor reveals that single phase material crosses the phase boundary and forms surface secondary phases upon oxidation, thereby creating anion vacancies. The arising metastable point defect population explains a common root cause of performance losses. This study shows how selective defect annihilation is attained with tailored chemical treatments that mitigate anion vacancy formation and improve the performance of CuInSe2 solar cells.

References

Aug 30, 2006·Ultramicroscopy·K ThompsonB Gorman
Apr 26, 2012·Chemphyschem : a European Journal of Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry·Jonathan J ScraggLaurence M Peter
Sep 23, 2014·Physical Review Letters·Yujiao LiReiner Kirchheim
Apr 28, 2016·Nature Communications·S K KushwahaR J Cava
Feb 28, 2018·Nature Communications·Diego ColombaraSusanne Siebentritt
May 1, 2018·Science and Technology of Advanced Materials·Thomas FeurerAyodhya N Tiwari
May 17, 2018·Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology·Sascha SadewasserSantiago D Solares
Aug 19, 2018·Nature Communications·Byung-Wook ParkSang Il Seok
Jul 2, 2019·Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal·Finn BabbeSusanne Siebentritt

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Citations

Sep 14, 2021·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Khalil El HajraouiSascha Sadewasser
Aug 25, 2021·Angewandte Chemie·Yongpeng LiuNéstor Guijarro

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
scanning electron microscopy
scanning
X-ray
chemical surface treatments

Software Mentioned

CASINO
SPV
TR
Avantage

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