Back-surface recombination, electron reflectors, and paths to 28% efficiency for thin-film photovoltaics: A CdTe case study

Duenow, Joel N.; Metzger, Wyatt K.

doi:10.1063/1.5063799

Title: Back-surface recombination, electron reflectors, and paths to 28% efficiency for thin-film photovoltaics: A CdTe case study

Journal Article · Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5063799· OSTI ID:1494117

Duenow, Joel N. ^[1]; Metzger, Wyatt K. ^[1]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

As thin-film and silicon solar technologies mature, questions emerge about the upper bounds of thin-film solar performance and realistic experimental paths to reach them. Directions include increasing absorber hole density and bulk lifetime, improving the junction interface, reducing back-surface recombination, and implementing a back-surface electron reflector. Textbook solutions of idealized p-n junctions create a powerful conceptualization of solar cells as predominantly minority-carrier-driven devices. We demonstrate that thin films are distinct, and models often fail to capture the important role of majority-carrier lifetime, leading to contradictions with lifetime measurements and overestimates of potential device improvement from back-surface passivation and/or reflectors. Furthermore, we identify methods to probe majority-carrier lifetime and re-examine the degree to which back-surface passivation and electron reflectors can increase efficiency for a range of common thin-film interface and absorber properties, using current and emerging CdTe technology as an example. Here, the results indicate that a practical approach is to focus first on improving front-interface recombination velocity and the absorber properties, and then on implementing the back-surface passivation or reflector, which can ultimately allow thin-film solar technology to reach 28% efficiency.

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Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

OSTI ID:: 1494117

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5K00-73045

Journal Information:: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 125, Issue 5; ISSN 0021-8979

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 34 works

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