Song, Sang2015-11-062015-11-062013-06https://hdl.handle.net/11299/175340University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. June 2013. Major: Electrical Engineering. Advisor: Stephen Campbell. 1 computer file (PDF); xiii, 183 pages.We studied the way to achieve high efficiency and low cost of CuIn_1-xGa_xSe₂ (CIGS) solar cells. The Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) tunneling currents at low bias decreased the shunt resistances and degraded the fill factor and efficiency. The activation energies of majority traps were directly related with F-N tunneling currents by the energy barriers. Air anneals decreased the efficiency from 7.74% to 5.18% after a 150�C, 1000 hour anneal. The decrease of shunt resistance due to F-N tunneling and the increase of series resistance degrade the efficiencies of solar cells. Air anneal reduces the free carrier densities by the newly generated Cu interstitial defects (Cu_i). Mobile Cu_i defects induce the metastability in CIGS solar cell. Since oxygen atoms are preferred to passivate the Se vacancies thus Cu interstitial defects explains well metastability of CIGS solar cells. Lattice mismatch and misfit stress between layers in CIGS solar cells can explain the particular effects of CIGS solar cells. The misfits of 35.08<super>o</super> rotated (220/204) CIGS to r-plane (102) MoSe₂ layers are 1% ~ -4% lower than other orientation and the lattice constants of two layers in short direction are matched at Ga composition x=0.35. This explains well the preferred orientation and the maximum efficiency of Ga composition effects. Misfit between CIGS and CdS generated the dislocations in CdS layer as the interface traps. Thermionic emission currents due to interface traps limit the open circuit voltage at high Ga composition. The trap densities were calculated by critical thickness and dislocation spacing and the numerical device simulation results were well matched with the experimental results. A metal oxide broken-gap p-n heterojunction is suggested for tunnel junction for multi-junction polycrystalline solar cells and we examined the characteristics of broken-gap tunnel junction by numerical simulation. Ballistic transport mechanism explains well I-V characteristics of broken-gap junction. P-type Cu₂O and n-type In₂O₃ broken-gap heterojunction is effective with the CIGS tandem solar cells. The junction has linear I-V characteristics with moderate carrier concentration (2�10<super>17</super> cm<super>-3</super>) and the resistance is lower than GaAs tunnel junction. The efficiency of a CGS/CIS tandem solar cells was 24.1% with buffer layers. And no significant degradations are expected due to broken gap junction.encharacterizationCIGSNumerical simulationSolar cellThesis or Dissertation