Characterization of Zn(O,S) Buffer Layers for Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells

Zn(O,S) thin films were deposited using a ZnS target under Ar/O2 gases by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. As the O2 concentration increased, the deposition rates of the Zn(O,S) films decreased due to increase of O-. The crystalline structure of Zn(O,S) was maintained at up to 0.6% O2, while the films became unstable at the condition exceeding 0.8% O2. This was attributed to incomplete nucleation and film growth on the substrate at the room temperature. Additionally, optical emission spectroscopy analysis indicated that an increased O- intensity at high O2 concentration was responsible for the slow deposition rate and increased oxygen concentration of the films. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy revealed the formation of a Zn(O,S) crystal structure with partial substitution of O for S and uniform and dense grains of the films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the Zn(O,S) films have a uniform composition of each element and consisted of a mixed crystal structure of Zn(O,S) with Zn-O bonding. Overall, the results of this study confirmed that Zn(O,S) films deposited by radio-frequency sputtering using Ar/O2 gas at room temperature can be applied to Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells as a buffer layer.