Cadmium sulfide/copper sulfide heterojunction cell research. Quarterly technical progress report, June 1-September 30, 1979

Technical Report · Fri Nov 30 04:00:00 EST 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5276979· OSTI ID:5276979

Thornton, J. A.

Off-stoiciometry CdS coatings with resistivities of about 10..cap omega..-cm have been deposited by a cyclic reactive sputtering process where the H/sub 2/S injection is periodically switched on and off. Cells with CdS layer fabricated in this way have yielded efficiencies of about 0.6% with short circuit currents of about 3.5 mA/cm/sup 2/, open circuit voltages of about 0.43V, and fill factors of about 0.40. CdS resistivity control by In doping has been achieved both by diffusion from a pre-deposited In layer and by using an In-doped Cd sputtering target. Resistivities of about 30..cap omega..-cm are achieved in CdS coatings about 5 um thick deposited at 250/sup 0/C over 50 nm thick In layers. A Cd cathode doped with 1 atomic percent In has yielded CdS coatings with resistivities of about 0.1 ..cap omega..-cm at substrate temperatures in the 100 to 300/sup 0/C range. Cells fabricated from the 0.1 ..cap omega..-cm CdS with a 0.5 um undoped layer adjacent to the junction have yielded encouraging diode characteristics with a strong photovoltaic effect and will be used to an optimization study. Cu/sub x/S coatings deposited onto CdS under various conditions have been found to have the same properties as those deposited onto glass substrates in previous studies. The amount of sputtering that is required in order to deposit the Cu/sub 2/S heterojunction layer is small compared to that requird to achieve steady state conditions in the deposition apparatus. Thus pre-conditioning is required. The results of experiments that examines various conditioning procedures are reported.

• Research Organization: Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EG-77-C-01-4042
• OSTI ID: 5276979
• Report Number(s): DSE-4042-T19
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360601 -- Other Materials-- Preparation & Manufacture
ALLOYS
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CADMIUM SULFIDE SOLAR CELLS
CADMIUM SULFIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COATINGS
COPPER COMPOUNDS
COPPER SULFIDES
CRYSTAL DOPING
DATA
DATA FORMS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EFFICIENCY
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
EQUIPMENT
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FABRICATION
FILL FACTORS
GRAPHS
HEAT TREATMENTS
INDIUM ADDITIONS
INDIUM ALLOYS
INFORMATION
INORGANIC PHOSPHORS
ISOLATED VALUES
JUNCTIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
OPTIMIZATION
PERFORMANCE
PHOSPHORS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPUTTERING
SUBSTRATES
SULFIDES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS