Sputter deposition is an important thin film coating technology in the field of photovoltaics. It allows for precise optimization of material properties to enhance solar cell performance.
What is a sputtering target?
Sputtering targets, or sometimes evaporation pellets, are important source materials in the deposition process. Thin-film solar cells are commercially used in several technologies, including cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film, copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin film, and Gallium arsenide (GaTe) thin film.
What is a sputtering system?
Sputtering involves a target or source material being bombarded by high energy particles, ejecting atoms of this material which are subsequently deposited onto a substrate to form thin film layers. A schematic description of a sputtering system is shown in Figure 1.
Then, the effects of plasma on perovskite film quality are systematically discussed, including the elemental ratio, crystallinity, and defect density. Subsequently, we review the recent advances in magnetron sputtering of perovskite thin films for photovoltaic applications.
Preparing high-performance PSCs with uniform, large-area perovskite thin films remains challenging. Magnetron sputtering is a common method of film preparation in industry, which has the advantage of easy control over film crystallization, high repeatability, and low cost. And recently, it also exhibits promise in perovskite thin film preparation.
What is a thin film solar cell?
A thin-film solar cell is a second-generation solar cell that is made by depositing one or more thin layers, or thin film (TF) of photovoltaic material on a substrate, such as glass, plastic, or metal. Sputtering targets, or sometimes evaporation pellets, are important source materials in the deposition process.
Is reactive sputtering a physical vapour deposition technique?
As reactive sputtering involves chemical reactions, it is not classified as physical vapour deposition technique. Like most of the other thin film deposition techniques, evaporation also takes place a high-vacuum atmosphere (10 -5 ~10 -9 Torr).