Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Cathodoluminescence spectrum imaging analysis of CdTe thin-film bevels

Abstract

We conducted T = 6 K cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrum imaging with a nanoscale electron beam on beveled surfaces of CdTe thin films at the critical stages of standard CdTe solar cell fabrication. We find that the through-thickness CL total intensity profiles are consistent with a reduction in grain-boundary recombination due to the CdCl2 treatment. The color-coded CL maps of the near-band-edge transitions indicate significant variations in the defect recombination activity at the micron and sub-micron scales within grains, from grain to grain, throughout the film depth, and between films with different processing histories. We estimated the grain-interior sulfur-alloying fraction in the interdiffused CdTe/CdS region of the CdCl2-treated films from a sample of 35 grains and found that it is not strongly correlated with CL intensity. A kinetic rate-equation model was used to simulate grain-boundary (GB) and grain-interior CL spectra. Simulations indicate that the large reduction in the exciton band intensity and relatively small decrease in the lower-energy band intensity at CdTe GBs or dislocations can be explained by an enhanced electron-hole non-radiative recombination rate at the deep GB or dislocation defects. Additionally, simulations also show that higher GB concentrations of donors and/or acceptors can increase the lower-energy band intensity, whilemore » slightly decreasing the exciton band intensity.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [2]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
  2. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
OSTI Identifier:
1326326
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1323563
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5K00-66565
Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979; JAPIAU
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Applied Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 120; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 0021-8979
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; catholuminescence; excitons; II-VI semiconductors; geographic information systems; dislocations

Citation Formats

Moseley, John, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., Guthrey, Harvey L., Burst, James M., Duenow, Joel N., Ahrenkiel, Richard K., and Metzger, Wyatt K. Cathodoluminescence spectrum imaging analysis of CdTe thin-film bevels. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4962286.
Copy to clipboard
Moseley, John, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., Guthrey, Harvey L., Burst, James M., Duenow, Joel N., Ahrenkiel, Richard K., & Metzger, Wyatt K. Cathodoluminescence spectrum imaging analysis of CdTe thin-film bevels. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4962286
Copy to clipboard
Moseley, John, Al-Jassim, Mowafak M., Guthrey, Harvey L., Burst, James M., Duenow, Joel N., Ahrenkiel, Richard K., and Metzger, Wyatt K. Fri . "Cathodoluminescence spectrum imaging analysis of CdTe thin-film bevels". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4962286. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1326326.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_1326326,
title = {Cathodoluminescence spectrum imaging analysis of CdTe thin-film bevels},
author = {Moseley, John and Al-Jassim, Mowafak M. and Guthrey, Harvey L. and Burst, James M. and Duenow, Joel N. and Ahrenkiel, Richard K. and Metzger, Wyatt K.},
abstractNote = {We conducted T = 6 K cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrum imaging with a nanoscale electron beam on beveled surfaces of CdTe thin films at the critical stages of standard CdTe solar cell fabrication. We find that the through-thickness CL total intensity profiles are consistent with a reduction in grain-boundary recombination due to the CdCl2 treatment. The color-coded CL maps of the near-band-edge transitions indicate significant variations in the defect recombination activity at the micron and sub-micron scales within grains, from grain to grain, throughout the film depth, and between films with different processing histories. We estimated the grain-interior sulfur-alloying fraction in the interdiffused CdTe/CdS region of the CdCl2-treated films from a sample of 35 grains and found that it is not strongly correlated with CL intensity. A kinetic rate-equation model was used to simulate grain-boundary (GB) and grain-interior CL spectra. Simulations indicate that the large reduction in the exciton band intensity and relatively small decrease in the lower-energy band intensity at CdTe GBs or dislocations can be explained by an enhanced electron-hole non-radiative recombination rate at the deep GB or dislocation defects. Additionally, simulations also show that higher GB concentrations of donors and/or acceptors can increase the lower-energy band intensity, while slightly decreasing the exciton band intensity.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4962286},
journal = {Journal of Applied Physics},
number = 10,
volume = 120,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Sep 09 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Fri Sep 09 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
Copy to clipboard
Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4962286
Copyright Statement
Other availability
Search WorldCat Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 9 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

Works referenced in this record:

Solar cell efficiency tables (version 47): Solar cell efficiency tables
journal, November 2015

  • Green, Martin A.; Emery, Keith; Hishikawa, Yoshihiro
  • Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 24, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1002/pip.2728

Commercial progress and challenges for photovoltaics
journal, January 2016

Cathodoluminescence nano-characterization of semiconductors
journal, March 2011

Explanation of red spectral shifts at CdTe grain boundaries
journal, December 2013

  • Moseley, J.; Al-Jassim, M. M.; Moutinho, H. R.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 23
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4838015

Cathodoluminescence Analysis of Grain Boundaries and Grain Interiors in Thin-Film CdTe
journal, November 2014

Long Lifetime Hole Traps at Grain Boundaries in CdTe Thin-Film Photovoltaics
journal, November 2015

A comparative study of microstructural stability and sulphur diffusion in CdS/CdTe photovoltaic devices
journal, October 2015

A study of the effects of varying cadmium chloride treatment on the luminescent properties of CdTe/CdS thin film solar cells
journal, February 2000

Direct Imaging of Cl- and Cu-Induced Short-Circuit Efficiency Changes in CdTe Solar Cells
journal, May 2014

  • Poplawsky, Jonathan D.; Paudel, Naba R.; Li, Chen
  • Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 4, Issue 15
  • DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201400454

Cross-sectional mapping of hole concentrations as a function of copper treatment in CdTe photo-voltaic devices: Cross-sectional mapping of hole concentrations
journal, December 2014

  • Korevaar, Bas A.; Zorn, Gilad; Raghavan, Kamala C.
  • Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, Vol. 23, Issue 11
  • DOI: 10.1002/pip.2576

Three-Dimensional Electron Energy Deposition Modeling of Cathodoluminescence Emission near Threading Dislocations in GaN and Electron-Beam Lithography Exposure Parameters for a PMMA Resist
journal, November 2012

  • Demers, Hendrix; Poirier-Demers, Nicolas; Phillips, Matthew R.
  • Microscopy and Microanalysis, Vol. 18, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1017/S1431927612013414

Comprehensive photoluminescence study of chlorine activated polycrystalline cadmium telluride layers
journal, December 2010

  • Kraft, C.; Metzner, H.; Hädrich, M.
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 108, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.3517436

Excitation-power dependence of the near-band-edge photoluminescence of semiconductors
journal, April 1992

Tunable and abrupt thermal quenching of photoluminescence in high-resistivity Zn-doped GaN
journal, August 2011

  • Reshchikov, Michael A.; Kvasov, Alexander A.; Bishop, Marilyn F.
  • Physical Review B, Vol. 84, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.84.075212

Temperature dependence of defect-related photoluminescence in III-V and II-VI semiconductors
journal, January 2014

  • Reshchikov, Michael A.
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4838038

Photoluminescence spectra of Cl-doped CdTe crystals
journal, March 1998

Effects of island coalescence on the compensation mechanisms in chlorine doped polycrystalline CdTe
journal, March 2007

  • Consonni, V.; Feuillet, G.; Bleuse, J.
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 101, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2711412

Spectroscopic analysis of defects in chlorine doped polycrystalline CdTe
journal, March 2006

  • Consonni, V.; Feuillet, G.; Renet, S.
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 99, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2174117

Recombination by grain-boundary type in CdTe
journal, July 2015

  • Moseley, John; Metzger, Wyatt K.; Moutinho, Helio R.
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 118, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4926726

Phase Diagram of the CdS-CdTe Pseudobinary System
journal, August 1973

  • Ohata, Keiichi; Saraie, Junji; Tanaka, Tetsuro
  • Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 12, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1143/JJAP.12.1198

CdS x Te 1-x films: preparation and properties
journal, April 1993

Time-resolved photoluminescence studies of CdTe solar cells
journal, September 2003

  • Metzger, W. K.; Albin, D.; Levi, D.
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 94, Issue 5, p. 3549-3555
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.1597974

CdCl2 treatment, S diffusion, and recombination in polycrystalline CdTe
journal, May 2006

  • Metzger, W. K.; Albin, D.; Romero, M. J.
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 99, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2196127

Tailoring Impurity Distribution in Polycrystalline CdTe Solar Cells for Enhanced Minority Carrier Lifetime
journal, November 2013

  • Kranz, Lukas; Gretener, Christina; Perrenoud, Julian
  • Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 4, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201301400

Nanoscale doping profiles within CdTe grain boundaries and at the CdS/CdTe interface revealed by atom probe tomography and STEM EBIC
journal, June 2016

Minority-Carrier Lifetime and Surface Recombination Velocity in Single-Crystal CdTe
journal, January 2015

Optical investigations of defects in Cd 1 − x Zn x Te
journal, April 1995

Cathodoluminescence of Cu diffusion in CdTe thin films for CdTe/CdS solar cells
journal, October 2002

  • Romero, Manuel J.; Albin, David S.; Al-Jassim, Mowafak M.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 81, Issue 16
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.1515119

Probing carrier lifetimes at dislocations in epitaxial CdTe
journal, May 2014

  • Alberi, Kirstin; Fluegel, Brian; DiNezza, Michael J.
  • Applied Physics Express, Vol. 7, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.7567/APEX.7.065503

Tutorial: Defects in semiconductors—Combining experiment and theory
journal, May 2016

  • Alkauskas, Audrius; McCluskey, Matthew D.; Van de Walle, Chris G.
  • Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 119, Issue 18
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4948245

Understanding the Beneficial Role of Grain Boundaries in Polycrystalline Solar Cells from Single-Grain-Boundary Scanning Probe Microscopy
journal, March 2006

  • Visoly-Fisher, I.; Cohen, S. R.; Gartsman, K.
  • Advanced Functional Materials, Vol. 16, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1002/adfm.200500396

The Nanometer-Resolution Local Electrical Potential and Resistance Mapping of CdTe Thin Films
journal, October 2013

Direct Observation of CdCl 2 Treatment Induced Grain Boundary Carrier Depletion in CdTe Solar Cells Using Scanning Probe Microwave Reflectivity Based Capacitance Measurements
journal, March 2016

  • Tuteja, Mohit; Koirala, Prakash; Palekis, Vasilios
  • The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, Vol. 120, Issue 13
  • DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b00874
    Sort by:
    [ × clear filter / sort ]

    Works referencing / citing this record:

    Obtaining Large Columnar CdTe Grains and Long Lifetime on Nanocrystalline CdSe, MgZnO, or CdS Layers
    journal, January 2018

    • Amarasinghe, Mahisha; Colegrove, Eric; Moseley, John
    • Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 8, Issue 11
    • DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201702666
      Sort by:
      [ × clear filter / sort ]

      Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections: