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Investigating Minority-Carrier Traps in p-type Cu(InGa)Se2 Using Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Steven W. Johnston ,
Jehad A. M. AbuShama  and
Rommel Noufi
Steven W. Johnston
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, U.S.A.
Jehad A. M. AbuShama
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, U.S.A.
Rommel Noufi
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Measurements of p-type Cu(InGa)Se2 (CIGS) using deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) show peaks associated with minority-carrier traps, even though data were collected using reverse bias conditions not favorable to injecting minority-carrier electrons. These DLTS peaks occur in the temperature range of 50 to 150 K for the rate windows used and correspond to electron traps having activation energies usually in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 eV for alloys of CIS, CGS, and CIGS. The peak values also depend on the number of traps filled. For short filling times of 10 μs to 100 μs, a small peak appears. As the DLTS filling pulse width increases, the peak increases in response to more traps being filled, but it also broadens and shifts to lower temperature suggesting that a possible series of trap levels, perhaps forming a defect band, are present. The peaks usually saturate in a timeframe of seconds. These filling times are sufficient for electrons to fill traps near the interface from the n-type side of the device due to a thermionic emission current. Admittance spectroscopy data for the same samples are shown for comparison.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 865: Symposium F – Thin-Film Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaics , 2005 , F5.35
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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