Abstract

Sputtering techniques have increasingly been applied for the fabrication of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) thin films for photovoltaics. For some of these methods, the metals are deposited via sputtering, and selenium is supplied from a secondary source either during or after deposition. In other CIGS sputtering techniques, selenium is included directly in the sputtering targets, eliminating the need for post-deposition selenization and the reliance on toxic H₂Se gas. In general, sputtering offers several advantages over other deposition methods including excellent uniformity over large areas and high material usage. Interestingly, while record efficiencies for laboratory CIGS cells have been established using co-evaporation, the recent records for CIGS modules are based on CIGS films that have been deposited via multicomponent sputtering. We discuss recent progress on sputtered CIGS, reviewing various sputter deposition methods and discussing the advantages and limitations of each. Finally, we highlight areas of research that may result in improved performance.

© 2015 Optical Society of America