@article{10.11648/j.eas.20261105.12,
  author = {Papa Lat Tabara Sow and Cheick Tidiane Goudiaby and Alioune Ngom and Jacques Joachim Faye and Ahmed Mohamed-Yahya and Mamadou Lamine Samb},
  title = {Effect of CIGS Absorber Thickness on the Performance of In2S3-Buffered Thin-Film Solar Cells: Role of the MgF2 Antireflection Coating},
  journal = {Engineering and Applied Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {5},
  pages = {164-178},
  doi = {10.11648/j.eas.20261105.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eas.20261105.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.eas.20261105.12},
  abstract = {This work numerically investigates, using the Silvaco ATLAS simulator, a thin-film solar cell based on a Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) absorber combined with a non-toxic In2S3 buffer layer replacing conventional CdS, building on an earlier doping-optimization study that identified NA = 3×1016 cm-3 as optimal for both configurations investigated (with and without a MgF2 antireflection coating). At this doping level, two otherwise identical structures, one with MgF2 and one without, are compared to isolate the effect of CIGS absorber thickness (0.5 to 4 µm) on Jsc, Voc, FF and η. Efficiency increases monotonically with thickness, reaching 24.7% with MgF2 and 21.93% without at 4 µm, a nearly constant relative gain of about 12.6% attributable almost entirely to the increase in short-circuit current. The analysis also tracks the effective series (Rs) and shunt (Rsh) resistances extracted from the simulated J–V curves to clarify the mechanism behind the improvement of the fill factor with thickness. The decrease in Rs and increase in Rsh are consistent with reduced electrical losses in thicker absorbers, though these values are read as effective electrical descriptors rather than direct proof of a microstructural change, since no grain-boundary or defect-density model was varied with thickness. A marginal-gain analysis of the full thickness interval, combined with a relative active-material-use analysis, identifies 2–3 µm with MgF2 as the best trade-off between performance and material use. A particularly compact illustration is that a 1 µm CIGS cell with MgF2 (η = 22.17%) already outperforms a 4 µm cell without MgF2 (η = 21.93%), using only a quarter of the absorber volume, showing that improved front-surface optical management can compensate for a substantial reduction in absorber thickness.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Effect of CIGS Absorber Thickness on the Performance of In2S3-Buffered Thin-Film Solar Cells: Role of the MgF2 Antireflection Coating
AU  - Papa Lat Tabara Sow
AU  - Cheick Tidiane Goudiaby
AU  - Alioune Ngom
AU  - Jacques Joachim Faye
AU  - Ahmed Mohamed-Yahya
AU  - Mamadou Lamine Samb
Y1  - 2026/09/27
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eas.20261105.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.eas.20261105.12
T2  - Engineering and Applied Sciences
JF  - Engineering and Applied Sciences
JO  - Engineering and Applied Sciences
SP  - 164
EP  - 178
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1468
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eas.20261105.12
AB  - This work numerically investigates, using the Silvaco ATLAS simulator, a thin-film solar cell based on a Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) absorber combined with a non-toxic In2S3 buffer layer replacing conventional CdS, building on an earlier doping-optimization study that identified NA = 3×1016 cm-3 as optimal for both configurations investigated (with and without a MgF2 antireflection coating). At this doping level, two otherwise identical structures, one with MgF2 and one without, are compared to isolate the effect of CIGS absorber thickness (0.5 to 4 µm) on Jsc, Voc, FF and η. Efficiency increases monotonically with thickness, reaching 24.7% with MgF2 and 21.93% without at 4 µm, a nearly constant relative gain of about 12.6% attributable almost entirely to the increase in short-circuit current. The analysis also tracks the effective series (Rs) and shunt (Rsh) resistances extracted from the simulated J–V curves to clarify the mechanism behind the improvement of the fill factor with thickness. The decrease in Rs and increase in Rsh are consistent with reduced electrical losses in thicker absorbers, though these values are read as effective electrical descriptors rather than direct proof of a microstructural change, since no grain-boundary or defect-density model was varied with thickness. A marginal-gain analysis of the full thickness interval, combined with a relative active-material-use analysis, identifies 2–3 µm with MgF2 as the best trade-off between performance and material use. A particularly compact illustration is that a 1 µm CIGS cell with MgF2 (η = 22.17%) already outperforms a 4 µm cell without MgF2 (η = 21.93%), using only a quarter of the absorber volume, showing that improved front-surface optical management can compensate for a substantial reduction in absorber thickness.
VL  - 11
IS  - 5
ER  - 

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