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In this report, we show that hyperspectral high-resolution photoluminescence mapping is a powerful tool for the selection and optimization of the laser ablation processes used for the patterning interconnections of subcells on Cu(Inx,Ga1−x)Se2 (CIGS) modules. In this way, we show that in-depth monitoring of material degradation in the vicinity of the ablation region and the identification of the underlying mechanisms can be accomplished. Specifically, by analyzing the standard P1 patterning line ablated before the CIGS deposition, we reveal an anomalous emission-quenching effect that follows the edge of the molybdenum groove underneath. We further rationalize the origins of this effect by comparing the topography of the P1 edge through a scanning electron microscope (SEM) cross-section, where a reduction of the photoemission cannot be explained by a thickness variation. We also investigate the laser-induced damage on P1 patterning lines performed after the deposition of CIGS. We then document, for the first time, the existence of a short-range damaged area, which is independent of the application of an optical aperture on the laser path. Our findings pave the way for a better understanding of P1-induced power losses and introduce new insights into the improvement of current strategies for industry-relevant module interconnection schemes.

Alkali post-deposition treatments (PDTs) of Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGSe) absorbers are known to improve the power conversion efficiency of the thin-film solar cell devices. The PDTs are usually carried out via evaporation of alkali fluorides in a selenium atmosphere onto a hot substrate. In this work, an alkali metal dispenser was used to evaporate pure metallic potassium onto epitaxial CIGSe absorbers. Subsequently, the absorber layers were heated in-situ to monitor chemical reactions and diffusion into the bulk. Due to the absence of grain boundaries, fluorine, and selenium, the effect of K on CIGSe absorber properties can be directly monitored. We find that potassium effectively diffuses into the bulk of epitaxial CIGSe absorber layers. The diffusion depends on the Cu-content of the CIGSe absorbers, in which Cu-depleted films present higher diffusion rate of K. Photoluminescence (PL) imaging corroborates that K in the bulk of the CIGSe absorber increases the PL yield, suggesting a passivation of defects or an increase in doping. This work highlights that alkali PDTs are not limited by interface and grain boundary modifications but also changes the absorber bulk properties, which needs to be taken into account.

An in-depth understanding of the electronic properties of grain boundaries (GBs) in polycrystalline semiconductor absorbers is of high importance since their charge carrier recombination rates may be very high and hence limit the solar cell device performance. Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) is the method of choice to investigate GB band bending on the nanometer scale and thereby helps to develop passivation strategies. Here, it is shown that the workfunction, measured with amplitude modulation (AM)-KPFM, which is by far the most common KPFM measurement mode, is prone to exhibit measurement artifacts at grain boundaries on typical solar cell absorbers such as Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 and CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 . This is a direct consequence of a change in the cantilever–sample distance that varies on rough samples. Furthermore, we critically discuss the impact of different environments (air versus vacuum) and show that air exposure alters the GB and facet contrast, which leads to erroneous interpretations of the GB physics. Frequency modulation (FM)-KPFM measurements on non-air-exposed CIGSe and perovskite absorbers show that the amount of band bending measured at the GB is negligible and that the electronic landscape of the semiconductor surface is dominated by facet-related contrast due to the polycrystalline nature of the absorbers.