V této diplomové práci je nejprve ve zkratce uvedena teorie fyziky solárních článků, kde jsou zmíněny klíčové procesy ovlivňující účinnost konverze slunečního záření na elektrickou energii. Dále je předložena rešerše o fotovoltaických nanostrukturách (nanodráty, nanokrystaly), jejichž implementací je možné účinnost solárních článků zvýšit. V přehledu experimentálních technik ke zkoumání fotovoltaických nanostruktur je důraz kladen zejména na korelativní měření pomocí SEM a AFM, vodivostního AFM, měření EBIC a mikroskopické měření elektroluminiscence. V experimentální části jsou předloženy výsledky měření struktur mikrokrystalického křemíku, vzorku hetero-přechodového Si solárního článku s kontakty na zadní straně (IBC-SHJ z projektu NextBase) a V-pitů vzorku InGaN/GaN kvantových jam. Měření elektroluminiscence bylo provedeno na vzorcích III-V polovodičů (InGaP, GaAs). Byly vypočítány jinak těžko dostupné charakteristiky III-V tandemových solárních článků pomocí elektroluminiscence a srovnání vlastností IBC-SHJ zjištěných pomocí mikroskopického měření elektroluminiscence a EBIC. Provedením experimentů bylo zjištěno, jakým způsobem se dělí proud vybuzený svazkem elektronů mezi hrot AFM a vzorek mikrokrystalického křemíku.

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit Ätzprozessen von alkalischen und insbesondere HF/HNO3-basierten Ätzmedien an Silicium (Si). Es wurden Ätzprozesse an kristallinen (c-Si) und besonders an amorph/kristallinen (a-Si:H/c-Si) Silicium-Strukturen mit Hilfe von in situ Photolumineszenz(PL)-Messungen untersucht. Diese ermöglichen eine Verfolgung der Veränderung der Grenzflächendefektdichte an der c-Si-Grenzfläche während der Ätzprozesse. Es wurde erstmals beobachtet, dass der über Ladungsträgerinjektion von Löchern in das Si ablaufende Ätzprozess in HNO3-reichen, HF/HNO3-basierten Ätzmedien eine temporäre Feldeffektpassivierung an der geätzten Grenzfläche verursacht, welche zu einer Verzögerung des eigentlichen Auflöseprozesses des Si führt. Die Anwendung dieser Ätzmedien erfolgte im Rahmen der Strukturierung von a-Si:H-Schichten auf c-Si zur Realisierung von interdigitierenden Kontaktstrukturen rückseitenkontaktierter a-Si:H/c-Si-Heterosolarzellen. Für diese Ätzprozesse konnte mit Hilfe von in situ PL-Messungen erstmalig eine in situ Prozesskontrolle etabliert werden. Der Ätzprozess kann exakt bei Erreichen der a-Si:H/c-Si-Grenzfläche gestoppt werden, wodurch die ätzbedingte Defektbildung an der resultierenden c-Si-Oberfläche minimiert wird. Als weiterer Themenschwerpunkt wurde eine Photolithographie-freie Nanostrukturierung von a-Si:H/c-Si-Strukturen durch metallkatalysiertes Ätzen (MAE) vorgestellt, wobei MAE erstmals auf a-Si:H angewandt wurde. Anhand von in situ PL-Messungen konnte ebenfalls eine, wenn auch geringere, Feldeffektpassivierung an der geätzten Grenzfläche im Zuge der Injektion von Löchern in das Si durch die katalytisch aktiven Ag Nanopartikel (AgNP) beobachtet werden. Mit den so steuerbaren MAE-Prozessen können a-Si:H-Schichten exakt bis zur a-Si:H/c-Si-Grenzfläche punktuell geöffnet werden. Auf diese Weise wurden p-Typ a-Si:H/c-Si-Heterosolarzellen mit einem punktförmigen Absorberkontakt erfolgreich realisiert. / This dissertation is concerned with wet chemical etching processes of silicon (Si) by alkaline and especially HF/HNO3 based etchants. The etching processes are applied to crystalline (c-Si) and amorphous/crystalline (a-Si:H/c-Si) samples and analyzed by in situ photoluminescence (PL) measurements. These measurements enable a monitoring of changes in the defect density at the c-Si interface during the etching processes. By etching of Si in HNO3-rich HF/HNO3 based etchants, a temporary field effect passivation at the etched c-Si surface by hole injection was established. It was detected by in situ PL measurements for the first time. This effect causes a delay of the actual dissolution of the Si. These etching processes were applied to structure a-Si:H layers on c-Si in order to establish interdigitated contacts for back contacted a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells. A process control for that kind of etch back processes was developed for the first time by in situ PL measurements. This method enables an exact termination of the etching processes with the arrival of the etching front at the a-Si:H/c-Si interface. Thus, etching induced defects at the resulting c-Si surface can be reduced. Finally this thesis focuses on the development of a photolithography-free approach for nanostructuring of a-Si:H/c-Si samples using metal assisted etching (MAE). In this context, MAE was applied to a-Si:H for the first time. In situ PL measurements also showed a temporary field effect passivation during MAE due to hole injection by the catalytically active Ag nanoparticles (AgNP). Here, this effect was less distinct because of only punctual etching by the AgNP. These designed MAE processes are used to selectively etch a-Si:H layers exactly down to the a-Si:H/c-Si interface. This process opens new doors to a novel fabrication technique for point contacted heterojunction solar cells. P-type a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells with point contacted back surface field are presented.

Semiconductors such as CuInGaSe2 and CdTe have been investigated as absorber layer materials for thin film solar cells since their band gap matches with the solar spectrum. Films as thin as 2m are sufficient for the absorption of the visible part of solar radiation, because they are characterized by a high absorption coefficient. However, the scarcity and high costs of Indium, Gallium and Tellurium have led to concerns on the sustainability of these technologies. The semiconductor Cu2ZnSnS4 (Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide) consisting of abundantly available elements promises to be an excellent photovoltaic absorber material. The present study is focused on the growth and characterization of CZTS/ZnS thin film heterostructure suitable for PV applications. Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis (USP), a variation of Spray Pyrolysis is a thin film deposition technique where the solution to be sprayed is atomized by ultrasonic frequencies. The details of the USP experimental set up and the deposition principle are presented in the thesis. The active layers of the solar cell, viz. the CZTS absorber layer and ZnS emitter layer were grown by this technique. The metal top contact was deposited using e-beam evaporation. The effects of copper concentration and sodium diffusion on the Cu2ZnSnS4 film properties were investigated. The films have shown preferred orientation along (112) direction confirming kesterite structure. The optical studies revealed that a reduction of copper in the films will bring the band gap energy to 1.5eV, which will match with the solar spectrum. Sodium diffusion in the CZTS films is found to passivate the grain boundaries and enhance the electrical conductivity. These properties render CZTS films as good photovoltaic absorber layers. ZnS has a high band gap and is non toxic unlike CdS. The influences of variation in substrate temperature and spray duration on the ZnS film properties were examined. The optical studies conducted on ZnS films revealed that they are highly transparent in the visible region of the solar spectrum. The films were found to possess a band gap of 3.5 eV. These properties make them potential candidates as solar cell emitter layers. The CZTS/ZnS heterojunction solar cell was fabricated and subjected to electrical characterization in dark and illuminated conditions. A conversion efficiency of 1.16% was achieved for the device.

Currently conventional sources like coal, petroleum and natural gas meet the energy requirements of developing and undeveloped countries. Over a period of time there is high risk of these energy sources getting depleted. Hence an alternate source of energy i.e. renewable energy is the need of the hour. The advantages of renewable energy like higher sustainability, lesser maintenance, low cost of operation, and minimal impact on the environment make the role of renewable energy sources significant. Out of the various renewable energy sources like solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, biogas, tidal and geothermal, usage of solar energy is gradually increasing. Among various solar energy sources, Photovoltaics has dominated over the past two decades since it is free clean energy and availability of abundant sunlight on earth. Over the past few decades, thin film solar cells (TFSC) have gained considerable interest as an economically feasible alternative to conventional silicon (Si) photovoltaic devices. TFSCs have the potential to be as efficient as Si solar cells both in terms of conversion efficiency as well as cost. The advantages of TFSC are that they are easy to prepare, lesser thickness, requires lesser materials, light weight, low cost and opto-electronic properties can be tuned by varying the process parameters. The present study is focused on the fabrication of AgInS2/ZnS heterojunction thin film solar cell. AgInS2 absorber layer is deposited using both vacuum (sputtering/sulfurization) and non-vacuum (ultrasonic spray pyrolysis) techniques. ZnS window layer is prepared using thermal evaporation technique, detailed experimental investigation has been conducted and the results have been reported in this work. The thesis is divided into 6 chapters. Chapter 1 gives general introduction about solar cells and working principle of solar cell. It also discusses thin film solar cell technology and its advantages. Layers of thin film solar cell structure, Significance of each layers and possible materials to be used are emphasized. A detailed overview of the available literature on both AgInS2 absorber layer and ZnS window layer has been presented. Based on the literature review, objectives of the present work are defined. Chapter 2 explains the theory and experimental details of deposition techniques used for the growth of AgInS2 and ZnS films. Details of characterization techniques to study film properties are described in detail. Chapter 3 presents a systematic study of AgInS2 thin films deposited by sulfurization of sputtered Ag-In metallic precursors. Initially, AgInS2 films are deposited by varying the substrate temperature and properties of as-deposited films are characterized. Structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of AgInS2 films are explained. From these studies, samples with better properties at particular substrate temperature are optimized. By fixing the substrate temperature, deposition time of silver is varied by keeping other deposition conditions same and the properties of films are discussed. It was observed that deposition time of silver doesn’t have much impact on structural properties of AgInS2 films. However, opto-electric properties of AgInS2 films are enhanced. Based on characterization studies, deposition time of silver is optimized. Deposition time of indium is varied by keeping substrate temperature and silver deposition to optimized value. The properties of as-deposited films are discussed. Based on the above studies, the optimized p type films have a band gap of 1.64 eV, carrier concentration of 1013 ions/cm3 and Resistivity of order 103 Ω-cm. Chapter 4 presents a systematic study of AgInS2 thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. AgInS2 films are deposited by varying the substrate temperature and properties of as deposited films are characterized. Structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of AgInS2 films are explained. From these studies, samples with better properties at particular substrate temperature are optimized. By fixing the substrate temperature, concentration of silver molarity in the precursor solution is varied by keeping other deposition conditions same and the properties of films are discussed. Structural, optical and electrical properties of AgInS2 films are enhanced with the increase in silver concentration. Based on characterization studies, concentration of silver is optimized. Similarly concentration of indium molarity in the precursor solution is varied and the properties of as-deposited films are discussed. Finally, sulfur molarity in the precursor solution is varied and properties of films are discussed. It was observed that increasing sulfur after certain limit does not have any effect on the properties of the films. Based on the above studies, this method resulted in the films with resistivity of 103 Ω-cm and band gap of 1.64 eV. These films showed a carrier concentration of 1013 ions/cm3. Chapter 5 describes the growth of ZnS films using thermal evaporation technique. Influence of thickness on the properties of ZnS films is explained. Samples with good crystallinity, high transmission, and wider gap are selected for device fabrication. This p type layer showed a band gap of 3.52 eV. Solar cells have been fabricated using the AgInS2 films developed by both sputtering and ultrasonic spray pyrolysis techniques. A maximum cell efficiency of 0.92 percent has been achieved for the cell with 0.950 µm thick sputtered AgInS2 layer and thermally evaporated 42 nm thick ZnS layer. In comparison, the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis deposited films gave an efficiency of 0.54 percent. These values are comparable to those mentioned in a couple of reports earlier. Chapter 6 summarizes the conclusions drawn from the present investigations and scope of future work is suggested.