Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) ultra-thin films deposited by radio frequency sputtering for flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Zinc oxide ultra-thin films doping with aluminum (AZO) were produced through radio frequency (rf) sputtering at a fixed pressure of 10 mTorr while varying the rf power between 80 and 140 W. The crystal structure of hexagonal Wurtzite was consistent throughout, with improved crystallinity observed at higher rf powers due to optimal diffusivity of the sputtered particles during nucleation and growth. The size of the crystallite was increased from 10.37 to 16.58 nm with increasing the rf power from 80 to 140 W. The Raman spectra provided evidence of the formation of ultra-thin AZO films, with discernable changes in morphology due to the influence of rf power. The value of optical band gap fluctuated between 3.49 and 3.58 eV as a function of rf power, a basis of the Burstein–Moss effect. The resistivity of the ultra-thin AZO films declined while augmenting rf power. A bilayer structure of intrinsic ZnO (i-ZnO) and AZO was fabricated and exhibited good transmittance, well-crystalline morphology, and excellent electrical conductivity. The optimized window layer (i-ZnO and AZO) was used to produce flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se2(CIGSe) solar cells with a photo conversion efficiency of 9.53%. Therefore, ultra-thin ZnO films exhibit potential as a favorable option for a window layer in the production of high-efficient flexible solar cells in cost effective way.