An improved understanding of efficiency limiting defects in polycrystalline CdTe/CdS solar cells
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States)
Efficiency limiting mechanisms in CdTe/CdS solar cells were investigated. It was found that growth of CdTe films under tellurium rich conditions enhanced the interdiffusion between CdTe and CdS and reduced the CdTe bandgap to 1.47 eV, whereas, growth of CdTe films under Cd-rich conditions retained the CdTe bandgap at 1.5 eV. A CdCl[sub 2] treatment followed by a 400 [degree]C post-growth annealing of CdTe improved the cell performance significantly. However, it also produced defects at [ital E][sub [ital v]]+0.64 and [ital E][sub [ital v]]+0.17 eV possibly due to chlorine related complexes. An inverse correlation was found between the density of these defects and [ital V][sub oc]. Rapid thermal processing (RTP) was investigated as a variation of the conventional furnace anneal post-growth treatment. Preliminary RTP results look promising with cell efficiency in excess of 8% without any CdCl[sub 2] treatment. Further improvements are expected by optimizing the CdCl[sub 2] treatment and the RTP conditions.
- OSTI ID:
- 6695864
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9205115-; CODEN: APCPCS
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States), Vol. 268:1; Conference: 11. review meeting of the National Renewable Energy Laboratories: photovoltaic advanced research and development, Lakewood, CO (United States), 13-15 May 1992; ISSN 0094-243X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CADMIUM SULFIDE SOLAR CELLS
EFFICIENCY
CADMIUM TELLURIDE SOLAR CELLS
ANNEALING
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
HETEROJUNCTIONS
POLYCRYSTALS
THIN FILMS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
EQUIPMENT
FILMS
HEAT TREATMENTS
JUNCTIONS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
140501* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photovoltaic Conversion