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This study evaluates the effect of silver alloying, stoichiometry, and deposition temperature of wide-gap (Ag,Cu)GaSe2 (ACGS) absorber films for solar cell applications. Devices using a standard CdS buffer exhibit a strong anticorrelation between the open-circuit voltage (V-OC) and short-circuit current density (J(SC)), with V-OC decreasing and J(SC) increasing toward stoichiometric absorber composition. Increasing the ACGS deposition temperature leads to larger grains and improved J(SC), while V-OC is not affected. By adding more silver to the absorber (maximum tested [Ag]/([Ag]+[Cu]) [AAC] = 0.4), the widening of the space charge region (SCR) significantly enhances carrier collection. Experimental quantum efficiency spectra can be accurately simulated when assuming a very low diffusion length and perfect collection in the SCR. The highest efficiency of 8.3% (without antireflection coating [ARC]) is reached for an absorber with AAC = 0.4 grown at 600 degrees C. Replacing CdS by a (Zn,Sn)O buffer with lower electron affinity strongly mitigates interface recombination. Moreover, the V-OC-J(SC) anticorrelation is not evident anymore and the highest efficiency of 11.2% (11.6% w/ARC, V-OC = 985 mV, J(SC) = 18.6 mA cm(-2), fill factor = 61.0%) is reached for a close-stoichiometric ACGS solar cell with AAC = 0.4 processed at 650 degrees C.

Herein, the performance of wide-gap Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 (CIGS) and (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se-2 (ACIGS) solar cells with In2O3:Sn (ITO) and In2O3:H (IOH) as transparent back contact (TBC) materials is evaluated. Since both TBCs restrict sodium in-diffusion from the glass substrate, fine-tuning of a NaF precursor layer is crucial. It is found that the optimum Na supply is lower for ACIGS than for CIGS samples. An excessive sodium amount deteriorates the solar cell performance, presumably by facilitating GaOx growth at the TBC/absorber interface. The efficiency (eta) further depends on the absorber stoichiometry, with highest fill factors (and eta) reached for close-stoichiometric compositions. An ACIGS solar cell with eta = 12% at a bandgap of 1.44 eV is processed, using IOH as a TBC. The best CIGS device reaches eta = 11.2% on ITO. Due to its very high infrared transparency, IOH is judged superior to ITO for implementation in a top cell of a tandem device. However, while ITO layers maintain their conductivity, IOH films show an increased sheet resistance after absorber deposition. Chemical investigations indicate that incorporation of Se during the initial stage of absorber processing may be responsible for the deteriorated conductivity of the IOH back contact in the final device.