Thin-film Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells with a non-toxic In2S3 buffer are a credible alternative to CdS-based devices. This work investigates an Al-Ni/MgF₂/ZnO:Al/i-ZnO/In₂S₃/CIGS/Mo solar-cell architecture using Silvaco ATLAS, with particular emphasis on the influence of CIGS absorber acceptor concentration (NA, 1×1014–1×1017 cm-3) on Jsc, Voc, FF, η, and the apparent series (Rs) and shunt (Rsh) resistances, with and without an MgF₂ antireflection coating. Voc rises almost monotonically with NA (+32%) while Jsc falls (−6.6%), so the pronounced non-monotonic evolution of FF primarily determines the location of the efficiency maximum. The highest simulated efficiency occurs at NA = 3×1016 cm-3 (η = 23.65% with MgF2 versus 20.99% without), but this maximum sits inside a fairly flat doping window (1×1016-6×1016 cm-3, η ≥ 95% of the peak) rather than a single sharp optimum. The resulting data reveal a strong association between the FF collapse and the increase in apparent Rs (r ≈ −0.99 overall, ≈ −0.999 above 3×1016 cm-3), linking the efficiency roll-off to degraded resistive transport without proving a single cause. The MgF2 layer delivers a nearly constant Jsc gain (12.16%), a marginal Voc effect (0.4-0.5%), and a negligible FF effect, so its efficiency gain (12.3-12.8%) is almost entirely inherited from Jsc. Together, these results distinguish the electrical trade-off associated with absorber doping from the predominantly optical contribution of MgF₂ and provide a practical doping window for CIGS/In₂S₃ device design.
| Published in | American Journal of Energy Engineering (Volume 14, Issue 3) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17 |
| Page(s) | 158-171 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
CIGS, In2S3, MgF2 Antireflection Coating, Apparent Series Resistance, Apparent Shunt Resistance, Doping Window, Silvaco ATLAS, Thin-Film Solar Cell
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APA Style
Toure, M., Mohamed-Yahya, S. M., Goudiaby, C. T., Mohamed-Yahya, A., Samb, M. L. (2026). Absorber-Doping Electrical Trade-off and MgF2 Optical Enhancement in CIGS/In2S3 Thin-Film Solar Cells: A TCAD Analysis. American Journal of Energy Engineering, 14(3), 158-171. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17
ACS Style
Toure, M.; Mohamed-Yahya, S. M.; Goudiaby, C. T.; Mohamed-Yahya, A.; Samb, M. L. Absorber-Doping Electrical Trade-off and MgF2 Optical Enhancement in CIGS/In2S3 Thin-Film Solar Cells: A TCAD Analysis. Am. J. Energy Eng. 2026, 14(3), 158-171. doi: 10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17
@article{10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17,
author = {Moussa Toure and Sidi Mohamed Mohamed-Yahya and Cheick Tidiane Goudiaby and Ahmed Mohamed-Yahya and Mamadou Lamine Samb},
title = {Absorber-Doping Electrical Trade-off and MgF2 Optical Enhancement in CIGS/In2S3 Thin-Film Solar Cells: A TCAD Analysis},
journal = {American Journal of Energy Engineering},
volume = {14},
number = {3},
pages = {158-171},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajee.20261403.17},
abstract = {Thin-film Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells with a non-toxic In2S3 buffer are a credible alternative to CdS-based devices. This work investigates an Al-Ni/MgF₂/ZnO:Al/i-ZnO/In₂S₃/CIGS/Mo solar-cell architecture using Silvaco ATLAS, with particular emphasis on the influence of CIGS absorber acceptor concentration (NA, 1×1014–1×1017 cm-3) on Jsc, Voc, FF, η, and the apparent series (Rs) and shunt (Rsh) resistances, with and without an MgF₂ antireflection coating. Voc rises almost monotonically with NA (+32%) while Jsc falls (−6.6%), so the pronounced non-monotonic evolution of FF primarily determines the location of the efficiency maximum. The highest simulated efficiency occurs at NA = 3×1016 cm-3 (η = 23.65% with MgF2 versus 20.99% without), but this maximum sits inside a fairly flat doping window (1×1016-6×1016 cm-3, η ≥ 95% of the peak) rather than a single sharp optimum. The resulting data reveal a strong association between the FF collapse and the increase in apparent Rs (r ≈ −0.99 overall, ≈ −0.999 above 3×1016 cm-3), linking the efficiency roll-off to degraded resistive transport without proving a single cause. The MgF2 layer delivers a nearly constant Jsc gain (12.16%), a marginal Voc effect (0.4-0.5%), and a negligible FF effect, so its efficiency gain (12.3-12.8%) is almost entirely inherited from Jsc. Together, these results distinguish the electrical trade-off associated with absorber doping from the predominantly optical contribution of MgF₂ and provide a practical doping window for CIGS/In₂S₃ device design.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Absorber-Doping Electrical Trade-off and MgF2 Optical Enhancement in CIGS/In2S3 Thin-Film Solar Cells: A TCAD Analysis AU - Moussa Toure AU - Sidi Mohamed Mohamed-Yahya AU - Cheick Tidiane Goudiaby AU - Ahmed Mohamed-Yahya AU - Mamadou Lamine Samb Y1 - 2026/09/20 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17 DO - 10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17 T2 - American Journal of Energy Engineering JF - American Journal of Energy Engineering JO - American Journal of Energy Engineering SP - 158 EP - 171 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2329-163X UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajee.20261403.17 AB - Thin-film Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells with a non-toxic In2S3 buffer are a credible alternative to CdS-based devices. This work investigates an Al-Ni/MgF₂/ZnO:Al/i-ZnO/In₂S₃/CIGS/Mo solar-cell architecture using Silvaco ATLAS, with particular emphasis on the influence of CIGS absorber acceptor concentration (NA, 1×1014–1×1017 cm-3) on Jsc, Voc, FF, η, and the apparent series (Rs) and shunt (Rsh) resistances, with and without an MgF₂ antireflection coating. Voc rises almost monotonically with NA (+32%) while Jsc falls (−6.6%), so the pronounced non-monotonic evolution of FF primarily determines the location of the efficiency maximum. The highest simulated efficiency occurs at NA = 3×1016 cm-3 (η = 23.65% with MgF2 versus 20.99% without), but this maximum sits inside a fairly flat doping window (1×1016-6×1016 cm-3, η ≥ 95% of the peak) rather than a single sharp optimum. The resulting data reveal a strong association between the FF collapse and the increase in apparent Rs (r ≈ −0.99 overall, ≈ −0.999 above 3×1016 cm-3), linking the efficiency roll-off to degraded resistive transport without proving a single cause. The MgF2 layer delivers a nearly constant Jsc gain (12.16%), a marginal Voc effect (0.4-0.5%), and a negligible FF effect, so its efficiency gain (12.3-12.8%) is almost entirely inherited from Jsc. Together, these results distinguish the electrical trade-off associated with absorber doping from the predominantly optical contribution of MgF₂ and provide a practical doping window for CIGS/In₂S₃ device design. VL - 14 IS - 3 ER -