ABSTRACT
Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is a prominent photovoltaic material used as either buffer or window layers in Copper-Indium-Gallium-Sulfide (CIGS) or Cadmium-Telluride (CdTe) thin film solar cells. In this chapter, ZnO will be explored from the material point of view to the thin film growth and characterization, leading to application to thin film solar cell devices. Here, zinc oxide thin films were deposited by Radio Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at optimized conditions. Then, the effects of annealing on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the ZnO films have been discussed. Chronological investigation will show how the post deposition annealing possesses a positive effect in terms of film quality, roughness and crystalline property that can be utilized in the CIGS or CdTe thin film solar cells as window or buffer layers. Finally, initial implementation as solar cell buffer layers has been demonstrated through CIGS and CdTe thin film solar cells.
