Tandem Solar Cells from Solution-Processed CdTe and PbS Quantum Dots Using a ZnTe–ZnO Tunnel Junction

Crisp, Ryan W.; Pach, Gregory F.; Kurley, J. Matthew; France, Ryan M.; Reese, Matthew O.; Nanayakkara, Sanjini U.; MacLeod, Bradley A.; Talapin, Dmitri V.; Beard, Matthew C.; Luther, Joseph M.

doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b04423

Title: Tandem Solar Cells from Solution-Processed CdTe and PbS Quantum Dots Using a ZnTe–ZnO Tunnel Junction

Journal Article · Tue Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Nano Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b04423· OSTI ID:1344171

Crisp, Ryan W. ^[1]; Pach, Gregory F. ^[2]; Kurley, J. Matthew ^[3]; France, Ryan M. ^[3]; Reese, Matthew O. ^[3]; Nanayakkara, Sanjini U. ^[3]; MacLeod, Bradley A. ^[3]; Talapin, Dmitri V. ^[4]; Beard, Matthew C. ^[3]; Luther, Joseph M. ^[3]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). Dept. of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Univ. of Chicago, IL (United States). Dept. of Chemistry and James Franck Inst. ; Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials

Here, we developed a monolithic CdTe-PbS tandem solar cell architecture in which both the CdTe and PbS absorber layers are solution-processed from nanocrystal inks. Due to their tunable nature, PbS quantum dots (QDs), with a controllable band gap between 0.4 and ~1.6 eV, are a promising candidate for a bottom absorber layer in tandem photovoltaics. In the detailed balance limit, the ideal configuration of a CdTe (E_g = 1.5 eV)-PbS tandem structure assumes infinite thickness of the absorber layers and requires the PbS band gap to be 0.75 eV to theoretically achieve a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 45%. But, modeling shows that by allowing the thickness of the CdTe layer to vary, a tandem with efficiency over 40% is achievable using bottom cell band gaps ranging from 0.68 and 1.16 eV. In a first step toward developing this technology, we explore CdTe-PbS tandem devices by developing a ZnTe-ZnO tunnel junction, which appropriately combines the two subcells in series. Furthermore, we examine the basic characteristics of the solar cells as a function of layer thickness and bottom-cell band gap and demonstrate open-circuit voltages in excess of 1.1 V with matched short circuit current density of 10 mA/cm² in prototype devices.

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Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Advanced Solar Photophysics (CASP)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308; AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1344171

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5900-67334

Journal Information:: Nano Letters, Vol. 17, Issue 2; ISSN 1530-6984

Publisher:: American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 55 works

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Title: Tandem Solar Cells from Solution-Processed CdTe and PbS Quantum Dots Using a ZnTe–ZnO Tunnel Junction

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