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Title: S–Te Interdiffusion within Grains and Grain Boundaries in CdTe Solar Cells

Journal Article · · IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [3];  [7]
  1. Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
  3. Univ. of Toledo, OH (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
  4. Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom). Dept. of Materials
  5. Univ. of Manchester (United Kingdom). School of Materials
  6. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  7. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
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At the CdTe/CdS interface, a significant Te-S interdiffusion has been found a few nanometers into the grain interiors with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). S substitution at Te sites has been directly resolved in CdTe with STEM Z-contrast images. Moreover, when enough S substitutes for Te, a structural transformation from zinc-blende to wurtzite has been observed. Cl segregation has also been found at the interface. STEM electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) shows that the p-n junction occurs a few nm into the CdTe grains, which is consistent with the S diffusion range we observe. The shift of the p-n junction suggests a buried homo-junction which would help reduce non-radiative recombination at the junction. Meanwhile, long-range S diffusion in CdTe grain boundaries (GBs) has been detected, as well as Te and Cl diffusion in CdS GBs.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1185567
Journal Information:
IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 4, Issue 6; ISSN 2156-3381
Publisher:
IEEECopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 24 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Cited By (7)

Water‐Assisted Liftoff of Polycrystalline CdS/CdTe Thin Films Using Heterogeneous Interfacial Engineering journal May 2019
Obtaining Large Columnar CdTe Grains and Long Lifetime on Nanocrystalline CdSe, MgZnO, or CdS Layers journal January 2018
In-depth analysis of chloride treatments for thin-film CdTe solar cells journal October 2016
Grain boundaries in CdTe thin film solar cells: a review journal July 2016
The study on saturation current and ideality factor of CdTe solar cell based on CdS window layer deposited with hydrogen peroxide journal October 2019
Structure evolution of h.c.p./c.c.p. metal oxide interfaces in solid-state reactions journal August 2018
Structure evolution of hcp/ccp metal oxide interfaces in solid-state reactions text January 2018

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Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
14 SOLAR ENERGY
CdTe
interface scanning transmission electron
microscopy
thin-film photovoltaic