Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten

DS 41: Focus Session: Sustainable Photovoltaics with Earth Abundant Materials II

DS 41.3: Talk

Thursday, April 3, 2014, 15:30–15:45, CHE 91

The effect of hydrogen in RF-sputtered copper oxide thin films — •Philipp Hering, Benedikt Kramm, Julian Benz, Peter Klar, and Bruno Meyer — 1. phys. Inst., JLU Giessen, Deutschland

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O), despite its band gap of 2.17 eV, is a promising material for photovoltaic applications, due to its high absorption coefficient, non-toxicity and the abundance of its composing elements. While recently more attention has been paid to heterojunctions, highest efficiencies were reached by employing copper sheets, which were oxidized and annealed at high temperatures. For technological applicability, a thin film deposition process with mass production capabilities, which provides decent film properties at low temperatures, has to be established. Such thin films however suffer from low carrier mobilities and lifetimes, due to their polycrystalline nature. It has been reported that post treatments with hydrogen can passivate grain boundaries. Copper oxide thin films were deposited from a metallic copper target via reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering, utilizing gaseous argon and oxygen under the addition of hydrogen. The films were characterized and the influence of hydrogen was investigated via X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence and Hall effect.