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Photovoltaic II-VI compound heterojunctions for solar energy conversion. Doctoral thesis

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7225388
In this investigation the authors have used the Close-Spaced Vapor Transport (CSVT) method to deposit semiconductor films onto single crystal (XL) substrates, thus preparing five II-VI heterojunctions: n-CdSe/p-ZnTe, n-CdTe/p-ZnTe, n-ZnSe/p-CdTe, n-CdSe/p-CdTe and p-ZnTe/n-ZnSe. Several cells of each type were made and tested, and it was found that the current transport mechanism is thermal activation and tunnelling into the heterointerface, where recombination takes place. This type of interfacial transport is mathematically formulated considering only the current controlling side of the interface, i.e. essentially the side having the largest potential barrier into the heterointerface. To describe the current-voltage behavior in light, a collection function that represents the bias voltage dependence of the collection of photogenerated carriers, was introduced. From the collection function the cell diffusion potentials have been determined, and using the film and substrate carrier densities, the electron affinities for CdSe (4.58 eV) and ZnTe (3.73 eV) were calculated relative to the electron affinity of CdTe, measured by Swank to be 4.28 eV. Knowing the electron affinities, band diagrams for the heterojunctions have been constructed.
Research Organization:
Stanford Univ., CA (USA). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
OSTI ID:
7225388
Report Number(s):
PB-259 195; NSF/RANN/SE/AER-75-1679/76
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140501* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Photovoltaic Conversion
CADMIUM SELENIDE SOLAR CELLS
CADMIUM TELLURIDE SOLAR CELLS
CARRIER DENSITY
CHALCOGENIDES
CHARGE COLLECTION
CHARGE TRANSPORT
CHEMICAL COATING
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
DEPOSITION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE
ENERGY GAP
FABRICATION
JUNCTIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
SOLAR CELLS
SUBSTRATES
SURFACE COATING
TELLURIDES
TELLURIUM COMPOUNDS
TESTING
ZINC COMPOUNDS
ZINC TELLURIDES