Electrical Characterization of Cu Composition Effects in CdS/CdTe Thin-Film Solar Cells with a ZnTe:Cu Back Contact: Preprint

Conference · Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012

OSTI ID:1047930

Li, Jian V.; Duenow, Joel N.; Kuciauskas, Darius; Kanevce, Ana; Dhere, Ramesh G.; Young, Matthew R.; Levi, Dean H.

We study the effects of Cu composition on the CdTe/ZnTe:Cu back contact and the bulk CdTe. For the back contact, its potential barrier decreases with Cu concentration while its saturation current density increases. For the bulk CdTe, the hole density increases with Cu concentration. We identify a Cu-related deep level at0.55 eV whose concentration is significant when the Cu concentration ishigh. The device performance, which initially increases with Cu concentration then decreases, reflects the interplay between the positive influences and negative influences (increasing deep levels in CdTe) of Cu.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 1047930
• Report Number(s): NREL/CP-5200-54125; TRN: US201216%%562
• Resource Relation: Conference: Presented at the 2012 IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 3-8 June 2012, Austin, Texas
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CURRENT DENSITY
PERFORMANCE
POTENTIALS
SATURATION
SOLAR CELLS
THIN FILMS
admittance measurement
capacitance voltage (CV)
CdTe
charge carrier density
contacts
defects