Fabrication of cadmium sulfide-copper sulfide thin film solar cells by an all vacuum deposited process and their related studies

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6699023

Cao, C C

An in situ resistance measurement technique which was used to study the CdS and Cu/sub x/S films by monitoring their resistances during and after evaporation of the cadmium sulfide and the copper sulfide is described. A simple mathematical procedure was used to calculate the thickness and resistivity of the films. Thin film CdS-Cu/sub x/S solar cells were prepared using an all evaporated process called sequential evaporation process. A description of CdS, Cu/sub x/S depostion procedures is given. The characteristics of the solar cells prepared by the sequential evaporation process are presented. Cells made so far by this method have yielded a short circuit current density of 11 mA/cm/sup 2/ and an open circuit voltage of 0.51 V under the illuminatin of Am1 (100mW/cm/sup 2/). However these maximum values were not seen simultaneouly on the same cell. After fabrication, without heat treatment, two types of cells were produced. One type, with a high resistivity (>20..cap omega..-cm) CdS layer exhibited a normal diode characteristic. The other, with low resistivity (>1..cap omega..-cm) CdS layer had a straight line l-V characteristic suggesting band to band tunneling. The model proposed by Fahrenbruch and Bube of Stanford University was adopted to explain the current transport mechanisms in the solar cells. The effect of H/sub 2/ heat treatment of cell characteristics is discussed in terms of the barrier theory proposed by te Velde. Finally the Newton-Raphson method is described which was used to calculate the parameters from the l-V curves of the solar cells and help find the degradation sources by observing the effect of the parameter variations on the performance of the l-V curves.

• OSTI ID: 6699023
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
CADMIUM SULFIDE SOLAR CELLS
FABRICATION
PERFORMANCE
VACUUM COATING
COPPER SULFIDE SOLAR CELLS
DATA ANALYSIS
FILMS
HEAT TREATMENTS
IN-SITU PROCESSING
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
DEPOSITION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EQUIPMENT
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PROCESSING
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SURFACE COATING
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion