Presentation Details
| The Environmental Stability of SnO2, ZnO and Alloyed Buffer Layers Luksa Kujovic, Elliott Groves, Ali Abbas , Luke O.Jones, Mustafa Togay, Luis C.Infante-Ortega, Samuel E.Machin, Adam M.Law, Ana C.Jurado-Estrada, Jake W.Bowers, John M.Walls. Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom |
Abstract
Accelerated lifetime testing is essential to assess the stability of photovoltaic materials. This work investigates the environmental stability of ZnO, MgZnO (MZO), CeZnO (CZO), SnO2 and ZnSnO2. Unencapsulated films with a thickness of 500 nm were deposited by RF sputtering onto glass substrates and subjected to up to 1000 hours of damp heat and ultraviolet (UV) exposure. The films were characterised based on their optical, structural, and chemical properties. UV exposure induced negligible changes in weighted average transmittance (WAT) and band gap for all ZnO-based films, whereas damp heat led to pronounced degradation in the 6% and 9% CZO compositions, manifested as significant increases in WAT and surface morphological changes. Cross-sectional STEM-EDX of the 9% CZO films after damp heat revealed the formation of a Ce-depleted ZnO layer. In MZO, XPS showed the conversion of MgO to Mg(OH)2, indicating a moisture driven degradation mechanism that initiates even prior to accelerated testing. In contrast, SnO2-based films exhibited no signs of degradation under the same conditions. These results demonstrate that high Ce content and Mg incorporation strongly compromise the environmental stability of ZnO-based buffer layers under damp heat stress.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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