Regensburg 2013 – scientific programme

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HL: Fachverband Halbleiterphysik

HL 58: Focus Session: Copper oxide semiconductors – An attractive material for photovoltaics?

HL 58.4: Topical Talk

Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 16:45–17:15, H13

Accelerating efficiency enhancements in cuprous oxide thin films by applying a structured approach — •Tonio Buonassisi — Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

With the exception of cuprous sulfide (Cu2S), binary Earth-abundant photovoltaic compounds (FeS2, Cu2O, SnS...) have record conversion efficiencies of a few percent or less, despite decades of research. It has recently been questioned whether these materials are intrinsically limited, or whether further efficiency improvements are possible with a structured scientific approach. In this presentation, we will present evidence supporting the latter hypothesis, demonstrating how a systematic approach to absorber and buffer layer development can accelerate efficiency improvements in certain Earth-abundant compounds. This systematic approach, mirroring the successes of more traditional semiconductor compounds, features multiscale modeling and interface engineering as cornerstones of a concerted effort to improve device performance. We postulate that this systematic approach to improving device performance may extend to a wider range of Earth-abundant absorber materials, potentially increasing the range of "serious" candidate solar cell materials at a historically high rate.