High p-type doping, mobility, and photocarrier lifetime in arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals

Nagaoka, Akira; Kuciauskas, Darius; McCoy, Jedidiah; Scarpulla, Michael A.

doi:10.1063/1.5029450

Title: High p-type doping, mobility, and photocarrier lifetime in arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals

Abstract

Here, Group-V element doping is promising for simultaneously maximizing the hole concentration and minority carrier lifetime in CdTe for thin film solar cells, but there are roadblocks concerning point defects including the possibility of self-compensation by AX metastability. Herein, we report on doping, lifetime, and mobility of CdTe single crystals doped with As between 10¹⁶ and 10²⁰ cm^–3 grown from the Cd solvent by the travelling heater method. Evidence consistent with AX instability as a major contributor to compensation in samples doped below 10¹⁷ cm^–3 is presented, while for higher-doped samples, precipitation of a second phase on planar structural defects is also observed and may explain spatial variation in properties such as lifetime. Rapid cooling after crystal growth increases doping efficiency and mobility for times up to 20–30 days at room temperature with the highest efficiencies observed close to 45% and a hole mobility of 70 cm²/Vs at room temperature. A doping limit in the low 10¹⁷/cm³ range is observed for samples quenched at 200–300 °C/h. Bulk minority carrier lifetimes exceeding 20 ns are observed for samples doped near 10¹⁶ cm^–3 relaxed in the dark and for unintentionally doped samples, while a lifetime of nearly 5 ns is observed formore »« less

Authors:

Nagaoka, Akira ^[1];

^[2];

^[3];

^[4]

Kyoto Univ., Kyoto (Japan); Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

Publication Date:: Mon May 07 00:00:00 EDT 2018

Research Org.:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office

OSTI Identifier:: 1437102

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1436384

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5900-71157
Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951; TRN: US1900269

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308; EE0004946

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Applied Physics Letters

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 112; Journal Issue: 19; Journal ID: ISSN 0003-6951

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; doping; crystal defects; solar energy; semiconductors

Citation Formats


                    Nagaoka, Akira, Kuciauskas, Darius, McCoy, Jedidiah, and Scarpulla, Michael A. High p-type doping, mobility, and photocarrier lifetime in arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals.  United States: N. p., 2018. 
Web.  doi:10.1063/1.5029450.

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                    Nagaoka, Akira, Kuciauskas, Darius, McCoy, Jedidiah, & Scarpulla, Michael A. High p-type doping, mobility, and photocarrier lifetime in arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5029450

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                    Nagaoka, Akira, Kuciauskas, Darius, McCoy, Jedidiah, and Scarpulla, Michael A. Mon .  
"High p-type doping, mobility, and photocarrier lifetime in arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5029450.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1437102.

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@article{osti_1437102,

  title        = {High p-type doping, mobility, and photocarrier lifetime in arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals},

  author       = {Nagaoka, Akira and Kuciauskas, Darius and McCoy, Jedidiah and Scarpulla, Michael A.},

  abstractNote = {Here, Group-V element doping is promising for simultaneously maximizing the hole concentration and minority carrier lifetime in CdTe for thin film solar cells, but there are roadblocks concerning point defects including the possibility of self-compensation by AX metastability. Herein, we report on doping, lifetime, and mobility of CdTe single crystals doped with As between 1016 and 1020 cm–3 grown from the Cd solvent by the travelling heater method. Evidence consistent with AX instability as a major contributor to compensation in samples doped below 1017 cm–3 is presented, while for higher-doped samples, precipitation of a second phase on planar structural defects is also observed and may explain spatial variation in properties such as lifetime. Rapid cooling after crystal growth increases doping efficiency and mobility for times up to 20–30 days at room temperature with the highest efficiencies observed close to 45% and a hole mobility of 70 cm2/Vs at room temperature. A doping limit in the low 1017/cm3 range is observed for samples quenched at 200–300 °C/h. Bulk minority carrier lifetimes exceeding 20 ns are observed for samples doped near 1016 cm–3 relaxed in the dark and for unintentionally doped samples, while a lifetime of nearly 5 ns is observed for 1018 cm–3 As doping. These results help us to establish limits on properties expected for group-V doped CdTe polycrystalline thin films for use in photovoltaics.},

  doi          = {10.1063/1.5029450},

  journal      = {Applied Physics Letters},

  number       = 19,

  volume       = 112,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Mon May 07 00:00:00 EDT 2018},

  month        = {Mon May 07 00:00:00 EDT 2018}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Dependence of the Minority-Carrier Lifetime on the Stoichiometry of CdTe Using Time-Resolved Photoluminescence and First-Principles Calculations
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Self-compensation in arsenic doping of CdTe
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Growth and characterization of Arsenic doped CdTe single crystals grown by Cd-solvent traveling-heater method
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Nagaoka, Akira; Han, Kyu-Bum; Misra, Sudhajit
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First-principles study of roles of Cu and Cl in polycrystalline CdTe
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Yang, Ji-Hui; Yin, Wan-Jian; Park, Ji-Sang
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 119, Issue 4
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Long‐lifetime photoconductivity effect in n ‐type GaAlAs
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Nelson, R. J.
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The roles of carrier concentration and interface, bulk, and grain-boundary recombination for 25% efficient CdTe solar cells
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Kanevce, A.; Reese, M. O.; Barnes, T. M.
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 121, Issue 21
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Review on first-principles study of defect properties of CdTe as a solar cell absorber
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Yang, Ji-Hui; Yin, Wan-Jian; Park, Ji-Sang
Semiconductor Science and Technology, Vol. 31, Issue 8
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Physical Review B, Vol. 19, Issue 2
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Doping properties of cadmium-rich arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals: Evidence of metastable AX behavior
journal, December 2017

Nagaoka, Akira; Kuciauskas, Darius; Scarpulla, Michael A.
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 111, Issue 23
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Minority Carrier Lifetime Analysis in the Bulk of Thin-Film Absorbers Using Subbandgap (Two-Photon) Excitation
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CdTe Solar Cells at the Threshold to 20% Efficiency
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Works referencing / citing this record:

Exceeding 20% efficiency with in situ group V doping in polycrystalline CdTe solar cells
journal, August 2019

Metzger, W. K.; Grover, S.; Lu, D.
Nature Energy, Vol. 4, Issue 10
DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0446-7

A perspective on the bright future of metal halide perovskites for X-ray detection
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Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 115, Issue 19
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Title: High p-type doping, mobility, and photocarrier lifetime in arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals

Abstract

Citation Formats

Dependence of the Minority-Carrier Lifetime on the Stoichiometry of CdTe Using Time-Resolved Photoluminescence and First-Principles Calculations journal, August 2013

Phase Equilibria and Vapor Pressures of Pure Phosphorus and of the Indium/Phosphorus System and Their Implications Regarding Crystal Growth of InP journal, January 1974

Enhanced p-type dopability of P and As in CdTe using non-equilibrium thermal processing journal, July 2015

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Solar cell efficiency tables (version 49): Solar cell efficiency tables (version 49) journal, November 2016

Chemical trends of defect formation and doping limit in II-VI semiconductors: The case of CdTe journal, October 2002

First-Principles Study of Doping Limits of CdTe journal, January 2002

Growth and characterization of Arsenic doped CdTe single crystals grown by Cd-solvent traveling-heater method journal, June 2017

Experimental and theoretical comparison of Sb, As, and P diffusion mechanisms and doping in CdTe journal, January 2018

First-principles study of roles of Cu and Cl in polycrystalline CdTe journal, January 2016

Long‐lifetime photoconductivity effect in n ‐type GaAlAs journal, September 1977

The roles of carrier concentration and interface, bulk, and grain-boundary recombination for 25% efficient CdTe solar cells journal, June 2017

Review on first-principles study of defect properties of CdTe as a solar cell absorber journal, July 2016

Trapping characteristics and a donor-complex ( DX ) model for the persistent-photoconductivity trapping center in Te-doped Al x Ga 1 − x As journal, January 1979

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Phase Equilibria and Vapor Pressures of Pure Phosphorus and of the Indium/Phosphorus System and Their Implications Regarding Crystal Growth of InP
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Enhanced p-type dopability of P and As in CdTe using non-equilibrium thermal processing
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Self-compensation in arsenic doping of CdTe
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Solar cell efficiency tables (version 49): Solar cell efficiency tables (version 49)
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Chemical trends of defect formation and doping limit in II-VI semiconductors: The case of CdTe
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Growth and characterization of Arsenic doped CdTe single crystals grown by Cd-solvent traveling-heater method
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Experimental and theoretical comparison of Sb, As, and P diffusion mechanisms and doping in CdTe
journal, January 2018

First-principles study of roles of Cu and Cl in polycrystalline CdTe
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Long‐lifetime photoconductivity effect in n ‐type GaAlAs
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The roles of carrier concentration and interface, bulk, and grain-boundary recombination for 25% efficient CdTe solar cells
journal, June 2017

Review on first-principles study of defect properties of CdTe as a solar cell absorber
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Trapping characteristics and a donor-complex ( $DX$ ) model for the persistent-photoconductivity trapping center in Te-doped ${Al}_{x} {Ga}_{1 - x} As$
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Doping properties of cadmium-rich arsenic-doped CdTe single crystals: Evidence of metastable AX behavior
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Minority Carrier Lifetime Analysis in the Bulk of Thin-Film Absorbers Using Subbandgap (Two-Photon) Excitation
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