Colossal grain growth in Cd(Se,Te) thin films and their subsequent use in CdTe epitaxy by close-spaced sublimation

Albin, David S.; Amarasinghe, Mahisha; Reese, Matthew O.; Moseley, John; Moutinho, Helio; Metzger, Wyatt K.

doi:10.1088/2515-7655/abd297

Colossal grain growth in Cd(Se,Te) thin films and their subsequent use in CdTe epitaxy by close-spaced sublimation

Journal Article · Thu Jan 28 00:00:00 EST 2021 · JPhys Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7655/abd297· OSTI ID:1768277

^[1]; Amarasinghe, Mahisha ^[2]; Reese, Matthew O. ^[1]; Moseley, John ^[1]; Moutinho, Helio ^[1]; Metzger, Wyatt K. ^[1]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Univ. of Illinois, Chicago, IL (United States)

Many technologies deposit thin films on inexpensive substrates, resulting in small grains due to classic nucleation and grain growth theory. For example, state-of-the-art solar cells are made by depositing CdSeTe and CdTe layers on inexpensive glass coated with nanocrystalline transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), like SnO₂. Characteristically, the grain size of these films is on the order of the film thickness, i.e. a few microns. CdTe small-grain films have poor electro-optical properties and require CdCl₂ passivation which fails to fully passivate grain boundaries, causes carrier compensation, and prevents implementing other II–VI alloys and materials to improve performance. Here, we present a method to increase grain size to 1 mm in CdSe_xTe_1-x thin films deposited on glass/TCO substrates without CdCl₂ treatment. The colossal grain growth is driven by mechanisms distinct from classic nucleation, grain growth, and Ostwald ripening and only occurs at low selenium content (x ~ 0.1). We also demonstrate how these films can serve as templates for subsequent large-grain epitaxy of other compositions like CdTe, again without exposure to CdCl₂. The results open new paths for thin film solar cell technology, and thin film devices in general.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

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; EE0008552

OSTI ID:: 1768277

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5K00-77878; MainId:31787; UUID:e341f528-b6e8-4d7c-a9ee-cd6e6f70c3ac; MainAdminID:19626

Journal Information:: JPhys Energy, Journal Name: JPhys Energy Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 3; ISSN 2515-7655

Publisher:: IOP PublishingCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Colossal grain growth in Cd(Se,Te) thin films and their subsequent use in CdTe epitaxy by close-spaced sublimation

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