All Solution-Processed Chalcogenide Solar Cells - From Single Functional Layers Towards a 13.8% Efficient CIGS Device

Solution processing of inorganic thin films has become an important thrust in material research community because it offers low-cost and high-throughput deposition of various functional coatings and devices. Especially inorganic thin film solar cells - macroelectronic devices that rely on consecutive deposition of layers on large-area rigid and flexible substrates - could benefit from solution approaches in order to realize their low-cost nature. This article critically reviews existing deposition approaches of functional layers for chalco-genide solar cells with an extension to other thin film technologies. Only true solutions of readily available metal salts in appropriate solvents are considered without the need of pre-fabricated nanoparticles. By combining three promising approaches, an air-stable Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin film solar cell with efficiency of 13.8% is demonstrated where all constituent layers (except the metal back contact) are processed from solutions. Notably, water is employed as the solvent in all steps, highlighting the potential for safe manufacturing with high utilization rates.