Polycrystalline thin-film cadmium telluride solar cells fabricated by electrodeposition. Annual technical report
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States). Dept. of Physics
During the past year, Colorado School of Mines (CSM) researchers performed systematic studies of the growth and properties of electrodeposition CdS and back-contact formation using Cu-doped ZnTe, with an emphasis on low Cu concentrations. CSM also started to explore the stability of its ZnTe-Cu contacted CdTe solar cells. Researchers investigated the electrodeposition of CdS and its application in fabricating CdTe/CdS solar cells. The experimental conditions they explored in this study were pH from 2.0 to 3.0; temperatures of 80 and 90 C; CdCl{sub 2} concentration of 0.2 M; deposition potential from {minus}550 to {minus}600 mV vs. Ag/AgCl electrode; [Na{sub 2}S{sub 2}O{sub 4}] concentration between 0.005 and 0.05 M. The deposition rate increases with increase of the thiosulfate concentration and decrease of solution pH. Researchers also extended their previous research of ZnTe:Cu films by investigating films doped with low Cu concentrations (< 5 at. %). The low Cu concentration enabled them to increase the ZnTe:Cu post-annealing temperature without causing excessive Cu diffusion into CdTe or formation of secondary phases. The effects of Cu doping concentration and post-deposition annealing temperature on the structural, compositional, and electrical properties of ZnTe were studied systematically using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, electron microprobe, Hall effect, and conductivity measurements.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States). Dept. of Physics
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-83CH10093
- OSTI ID:
- 564269
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/SR-520-23994; ON: DE98001925; TRN: AHC29804%%140
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jan 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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