Single-Wall Carbon Nanotube Networks as a Transparent Back Contact in CdTe Solar Cells
Single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) networks form a highly transparent and electrically conductive thin film that can be used to replace traditional transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) in a variety of applications. Here, the authors demonstrate their use as a transparent back contact in a near-infrared (NIR) transparent CdTe solar cell. SWCNT networks are hole-selective conductors and have a significantly greater NIR transparency than TCOs--qualities which could both make them very useful in tandem thin-film solar cells. SWCNT networks can be incorporated into single-junction CdTe devices and in CdTe top cells for mechanically stacked thin-film tandem devices, as described here. The best device efficiency using SWCNTs in the back contact was 12.4%, with 40%-50% transmission between 800 and 1500 nm.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-99-GO10337
- OSTI ID:
- 915676
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 90, Issue 24, 2007; ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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