Figure 2b shows a typical EDS spectrum generated using FESEM, which demonstrates

that zinc and oxygen were detected elements and minor silicon. The presence of silicon could be explained by soda-lime glass which is composed of about 75% silica (SiO2) plus sodium oxide from soda ash and lime. Figure 2 EDS composition analysis of CIGS thin-film (a) and ZnO nanorods (b). Figure 3a presents the crystal structure and preferential orientation of ZnO nanorods on AZO/glass formed at the pH values of 6.5 and 8, respectively. XRD pattern of the prepared ZnO was recorded using an automated Bruker PF-02341066 manufacturer D8 with CuKα radiation. The XRD MGCD0103 in vitro spectra of ZnO nanorods include a dominant peak at 34.4°, associated with the (002) plane of ZnO crystals, as well as a weak (101) peak. All ZnO arrays

yielded diffraction peaks of pure ZnO crystals with a hexagonal structure, suggesting that the films were oriented along the c-axis perpendicular to the AZO window layer because the (002) reflection was much greater than the usual (101) maximum reflection. To evaluate the performance of the antireflective coating on the non-selenized CIGS solar cell, absolute hemispherical reflectance measurements with an integrating sphere were made over the visible to near-IR spectral range, as shown in Figure 3b showing the average reflectance of a bare CIGS solar cell, which was measured to be 8.6% for the UV-visible wavelength range. Comparatively, the average Pritelivir reflectance of ZnO-covered CIGS solar cells with antireflection coating patterns of flat top and tapered ZnO nanostructures were measured to be 3.2% and 2.1%, respectively. The reflectance spectra of the non-selenized CIGS solar cells with ZnO nanorod antireflective coating were clearly lower than those Metalloexopeptidase of the cells without it over wavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet to the near-infrared. The reflectance spectra of the non-selenized CIGS cell

without an antireflective layer exhibited interference fringes. In contrast, the spectra of the ZnO nanorod-coated CIGS cell revealed significantly low reflectance, and the interference fringes were not observed at visible wavelength. The suppression of the optical reflectance of wavelengths from 400 to 1,000 nm was close to constant. It can be attributed to the reduction in reflection and the enhancement of photon absorption by the coating layer of ZnO nanorods. This suppression is caused by the moth-eye effect that originates from a graded refractive index in the textured ZnO nanorod-coated antireflective layer. These results reveal that the non-selenization CIGS cell device with ZnO-nanostructure coatings can absorb more photons and converted them into electrical current, owing to its excellent light-trapping ability [21].