The partial replacement of Cu by Ag in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin-film solar cells is strategically interesting to achieve smooth devices with high conversion efficiencies. Yet, the industrial exploitation requires further understanding of the deposition process and control of the absorber layer properties. In this study, three-stage co-evaporation of (Ag,Cu)(Ga,In)Se₂ films with [Ag]/([Ag] + [Cu]) contents up to 0.2 was investigated. Deep crevices and voids, sometimes extending down to the rear contact, were found. They mainly occur for high Ag contents and excessive group-I richness during the second stage of the deposition. The formation of cavities is attributed to the segregation of Ag–Se phases and slow Ag diffusion into the chalcopyrite during the deposition. Another identified challenge is the flattening of the desired bandgap grading which is correlated with the Ag content. Optimized process conditions allow fabrication of smooth (Ag,Cu)(Ga,In)Se₂ films in a manufacturing-like inline deposition with cell efficiencies up to 20.5%.

从战略上讲，用Cu（In，Ga）Se ₂薄膜太阳能电池中的Ag部分替代Cu可以实现具有高转换效率的平滑器件。然而，工业开发需要进一步了解沉积过程和控制吸收层性能。在这项研究中，三阶段共蒸发（Ag，Cu）（Ga，In）Se ₂研究了[Ag] /（[Ag] + [Cu]）含量高达0.2的薄膜。发现了深的缝隙和空隙，有时向下延伸到后触点。它们主要是由于在沉积的第二阶段中高的Ag含量和过量的I族富集。空穴的形成归因于Ag-Se相的偏析和沉积过程中缓慢的Ag扩散到黄铜矿中。另一个已确定的挑战是与银含量相关的所需带隙梯度的平坦化。优化的工艺条件允许以类似于制造的在线沉积方式制造光滑的（Ag，Cu）（Ga，In）Se ₂薄膜，其电池效率高达20.5％。