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Absorber-Doping Electrical Trade-off and MgF2 Optical Enhancement in CIGS/In2S3 Thin-Film Solar Cells: A TCAD Analysis

Received: 22 August 2026     Accepted: 1 September 2026     Published: 20 September 2026
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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.

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

Keywords

CIGS, In2S3, MgF2 Antireflection Coating, Apparent Series Resistance, Apparent Shunt Resistance, Doping Window, Silvaco ATLAS, Thin-Film Solar Cell

References
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Cite This Article
  • 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

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    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

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    AMA Style

    Toure M, Mohamed-Yahya SM, Goudiaby CT, Mohamed-Yahya A, Samb ML. 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

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  • @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}
    }
    

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  • 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  - 

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