Photovoltaic cell including doped cadmium telluride, a dislocation preventing agent and improved ohmic contacts

Patent · Tue Feb 04 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5923933

Mooney, J B; Sher, A

This patent describes a photovoltaic cell comprising a p type CdTe semiconductor formed of tetrahedral structural crystalline host semiconductor material including Cd and Te atoms bonded by ionic, covalent and metallic forces. The nearest Cd and Te atoms of the host material have a known bond length, the CdTe host material being alloyed with a single type of atoms that replace about 0.1 of either some of the Cd or some of the Te atoms of the host material so that the alloyed and host atoms are bonded by at least covalent and metallic forces. The alloyed atoms have a bond length with the nearest neighboring host atoms that is less than the known host bond length. The number of bonded alloyed atoms are small compared to the number of bonded host atoms so as not to substantially affect electron conduction and optical properties of the host material. A p type semiconductor region has low dislocation density relative to the dislocation density of the CdTe is formed. An n type semiconductor forms a junction with the p type region, and separate first and second metal electrodes make ohmic contacts with the low dislocation density p type region and the n type region.

• Assignee: SRI International, Menlo, CA
• Patent Number(s): US 4568792
• OSTI ID: 5923933
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 2 Feb 1984
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CADMIUM TELLURIDE SOLAR CELLS
DESIGN
FABRICATION
CADMIUM TELLURIDES
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
BOND LENGTHS
DISLOCATIONS
DOPED MATERIALS
ELECTRIC CONTACTS
METALLURGICAL EFFECTS
P-TYPE CONDUCTORS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DIMENSIONS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
EQUIPMENT
LENGTH
LINE DEFECTS
MATERIALS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
TELLURIDES
TELLURIUM COMPOUNDS
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion
360603 - Materials- Properties