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Electrostatic InkJet printed silver grids for non-vacuum processed CIGS solar cells.
Mingqing Wang1, Pufinji Obene2,3, Mikhail Questianx2
1UCL Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London, Roberts Building, Malet Place, London, WC1E 7JE, UK. mingqing.wang@ucl.ac.uk.
Scientific Reports
|April 1, 2025
Summary
Electro-Static Inkjet (ESJET) printing enables cost-effective silver nanoparticle grids for thin-film solar cells. Optimized sintering at 160°C yields efficiencies comparable to traditional methods, showcasing ESJET
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Renewable Energy Technologies
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Printed electronics offer scalable, low-cost manufacturing for devices like solar cells.
- Current methods for depositing metal grids in thin-film solar cells face limitations in cost, material waste, or scalability.
- Electro-Static Inkjet (ESJET) printing presents a novel approach for depositing functional inks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the viability of ESJET printing for depositing silver nanoparticle (Ag nps) grids in Copper Indium Gallium Diselenide (CIGS) solar cells.
- To investigate the impact of Ag ink composition and sintering conditions on the performance of ESJET-printed electrodes.
- To evaluate the photovoltaic performance and stability of CIGS solar cells utilizing ESJET-printed Ag grids.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Electro-Static Inkjet (ESJET) printing to deposit silver nanoparticle (Ag nps) inks as grid electrodes.
- Investigated various Ag ink compositions and sintering temperatures (e.g., 160°C, 220°C).
- Fabricated and tested non-vacuum processed Cu(In,Ga)S2 (CIGS) solar cells with ESJET-printed grids.
- Performed photovoltaic performance characterization and stability testing (ISOS-D-1) under ambient conditions.
Main Results:
- ESJET printing successfully deposited Ag nps grids for CIGS solar cells.
- High sintering temperatures (220°C) led to significant performance degradation.
- Sintering at 160°C resulted in CIGS solar cells with efficiencies comparable to those using thermal evaporated Ag grids.
- Devices with ESJET-printed grids showed a minor efficiency decrease from 11.14% to 10.44% after 3 months of unencapsulated stability testing.
Conclusions:
- ESJET printing is a promising, cost-effective technology for fabricating photovoltaic metal grids in thin-film solar cells.
- Optimized low-temperature sintering (160°C) is crucial for achieving high performance with ESJET-printed Ag grids.
- This method enables finer electrode patterns, reduces material waste, and lowers overall production costs for solar cells.
Keywords:
CIGS solar cellsElectrostatic Ink-Jet printingFinger electrodesNon-vacuum processingStability test
