Chalcogenide solar cells

Abstract

A precursor material for forming a film of a group IB-IIIA-chalcogenide compound and a method of making this film are disclosed. The film contains group IB-chalcogenide nanoparticles and/or group IIIA-chalcogenide nanoparticles and/or nanoglobules and/or nanodroplets and a source of extra chalcogen. Alternatively, the film may contain core-shell nanoparticles having core nanoparticles include group IB and/or IIIA elements, which are coated with a shell of elemental chalcogen material. The method of making a film of group IB-IIIA- chalcogenide compound includes mixing the nanoparticles and/or nanoglobules and/or nanodroplets to form an ink, depositing the ink on a substrate, heating to melt the extra chalcogen and to react the chalcogen with the group IB and group IIIA elements and/or chalcogenides to form a dense film.

1 . A precursor material for forming a film of a group IB-IIIA-chalcogenide compound, comprising:
 group IB-chalcogenide nanoparticles containing a non-oxide chalcogenide material in the form of an alloy of a chalcogen with an element of group IB; and/or   group IIIA-chalcogenide nanoparticles containing a non-oxide chalcogenide material in the form of an alloy of a chalcogen with one or more elements of group IIIA; and   a source of extra chalcogen mixed with the group IB-chalcogenide nanoparticles and the group IIIA-chalcogenide nanoparticles.   
     
     
         2 . The precursor material of  claim 1  wherein the source of extra chalcogen includes particles of an elemental chalcogen. 
     
     
         3 . The precursor material of  claim 1  wherein the chalcogen is selenium and/or sulfur and/or tellurium. 
     
     
         4 . The precursor material of  claim 1  wherein the group IB element is copper. 
     
     
         5 . The precursor material of  claim 1  wherein the one or more elements of group IIIA include gallium and/or indium and/or aluminum. 
     
     
         6 . The precursor material of  claim 1  wherein the group IB-chalcogenide nanoparticles include nanoparticles of copper selenide and/or copper sulfide and/or copper telluride. 
     
     
         7 . The precursor material of  claim 1  wherein the group IIIA-chalcogenide nanoparticles include nanoparticles of indium selenide, and/or nanoparticles of indium sulfide, and/or nanoparticles of indium telluride, and/or nanoparticles of gallium selenide and/or nanoparticles of gallium sulfide and/or gallium telluride. 
     
     
         8 . The precursor material of  claim 1  wherein the group IB-chalcogenide nanoparticles and/or the group IIIA-chalcogenide nanoparticles include a chalcogenide core with a chalcogen-containing coating, whereby the coating provides the extra source of chalcogen. 
     
     
         9 . A precursor material for forming a film of a group IB-IIIA-chalcogenide compound, comprising:
 core-shell nanoparticles having core nanoparticles containing one or more elements from group TB and/or IIIA and a coating of a non-oxygen chalcogen and/or chalcogenide material on the core nanoparticles;   whereby the coating provides an extra source of chalcogen.   
     
     
         10 . The precursor material of  claim 9 , further comprising a source of extra chalcogen material mixed with the core-shell nanoparticles. 
     
     
         11 . The precursor material of  claim 9  wherein the core nanoparticles include nanoparticles of a group TB element and nanoparticles of one or more group IIIA elements. 
     
     
         12 . The precursor material of  claim 9  wherein the group TB element is copper. 
     
     
         13 . The precursor material of  claim 9  wherein the group IIIA elements include indium and/or gallium. 
     
     
         14 . The precursor material of  claim 9  wherein the non-oxygen chalcogen material is selenium and/or sulfur and/or tellurium. 
     
     
         15 . The precursor material of  claim 9  wherein the core-shell nanoparticles include core nanoparticles of a binary alloy, the binary alloy containing a group TB element and a chalcogen. 
     
     
         16 . The precursor material of  claim 15  wherein the group TB element is copper and the chalcogen is selenium or sulfur or tellurium. 
     
     
         17 . The precursor material of  claim 9  wherein the core-shell nanoparticles include core nanoparticles of a binary alloy, the binary alloy containing a group IIIA element and/or a chalcogen. 
     
     
         18 . The precursor material of  claim 17  wherein the group IIIA element is indium or gallium and the chalcogen is selenium or sulfur or tellurium. 
     
     
         19 . The precursor material of  claim 9  wherein the core-shell nanoparticles include core nanoparticles of a ternary alloy, the ternary alloy containing two different group IIIA elements and a chalcogen. 
     
     
         20 . The precursor material of  claim 19  wherein the two different group IIIA elements are indium and gallium and the chalcogen is selenium and/or sulfur and/or tellurium.