Understanding individual defects in CdTe thin-film solar cells via STEM: From atomic structure to electrical activity
Abstract
Here in this paper we review a systematic study of the structure-property correlations of a series of defects in CdTe solar cells. A variety of experimental methods, including aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron-beam-induced current have been combined with density-functional theory. The research traces the connections between the structures and electrical activities of individual defects including intra-grain partial dislocations, grain boundaries and the CdTe/CdS interface. The interpretations of the physical origin underlying the structure-property correlation provide insights that should further the development of future CdTe solar cells.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Vienna (Austria). Dept. of Lithospheric Research
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Materials Science & Technology Division
- Univ. of Toledo, OH (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
- National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1393810
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1496415
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725; FOA-0000492
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 65; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1369-8001
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 14 SOLAR ENERGY; CdTe solar cells; scanning transmission electron microscopy; dislocation; grain boundary; interface
Citation Formats
Li, Chen, Poplawsky, Jonathan, Yan, Yanfa, and Pennycook, Stephen J. Understanding individual defects in CdTe thin-film solar cells via STEM: From atomic structure to electrical activity. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.mssp.2016.06.017.
Li, Chen, Poplawsky, Jonathan, Yan, Yanfa, & Pennycook, Stephen J. Understanding individual defects in CdTe thin-film solar cells via STEM: From atomic structure to electrical activity. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2016.06.017
Li, Chen, Poplawsky, Jonathan, Yan, Yanfa, and Pennycook, Stephen J. Sat .
"Understanding individual defects in CdTe thin-film solar cells via STEM: From atomic structure to electrical activity". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2016.06.017. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1393810.
@article{osti_1393810,
title = {Understanding individual defects in CdTe thin-film solar cells via STEM: From atomic structure to electrical activity},
author = {Li, Chen and Poplawsky, Jonathan and Yan, Yanfa and Pennycook, Stephen J.},
abstractNote = {Here in this paper we review a systematic study of the structure-property correlations of a series of defects in CdTe solar cells. A variety of experimental methods, including aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron-beam-induced current have been combined with density-functional theory. The research traces the connections between the structures and electrical activities of individual defects including intra-grain partial dislocations, grain boundaries and the CdTe/CdS interface. The interpretations of the physical origin underlying the structure-property correlation provide insights that should further the development of future CdTe solar cells.},
doi = {10.1016/j.mssp.2016.06.017},
journal = {Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing},
number = C,
volume = 65,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
From atomic structure to photovoltaic properties in CdTe solar cells
journal, November 2013
- Li, Chen; Poplawsky, Jonathan; Wu, Yelong
- Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 134
Growth and properties of coherent twinning superlattice nanowires
journal, January 2012
- Wood, Erin L.; Sansoz, Frederic
- Nanoscale, Vol. 4, Issue 17
Towards sub-Å electron beams
journal, June 1999
- Krivanek, O. L.; Dellby, N.; Lupini, A. R.
- Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 78, Issue 1-4
Projector augmented-wave method
journal, December 1994
- Blöchl, P. E.
- Physical Review B, Vol. 50, Issue 24, p. 17953-17979
Direct Insight into Grain Boundary Reconstruction in Polycrystalline with Atomic Resolution
journal, February 2012
- Abou-Ras, Daniel; Schaffer, Bernhard; Schaffer, Miroslava
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 108, Issue 7
Twin-induced one-dimensional homojunctions yield high quantum efficiency for solar hydrogen generation
journal, September 2013
- Liu, Maochang; Jing, Dengwei; Zhou, Zhaohui
- Nature Communications, Vol. 4, Issue 1
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
Phase behavior in the CdTe–CdS pseudobinary system
journal, July 2002
- McCandless, Brian E.; Hanket, Gregory M.; Jensen, D. Garth
- Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 20, Issue 4
Structural and chemical interface characterization of CdTe solar cells by transmission electron microscopy
journal, May 2003
- Terheggen, M.; Heinrich, H.; Kostorz, G.
- Thin Solid Films, Vol. 431-432
The effects of CdCl 2 on the electronic properties of molecular‐beam epitaxially grown CdTe/CdS heterojunction solar cells
journal, July 1991
- Ringel, S. A.; Smith, A. W.; MacDougal, M. H.
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 70, Issue 2
Complex Nanotwin Substructure of an Asymmetric Tilt Grain Boundary in a Silicon Polycrystal
journal, December 2015
- Stoffers, A.; Ziebarth, B.; Barthel, J.
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 115, Issue 23
Core Structures of Dislocations within CdTe Grains
journal, January 2013
- Li, Chen; Pennycook, Timothy J.; Leonard, Donovan N.
- MRS Proceedings, Vol. 1526
Effect of Copassivation of Cl and Cu on CdTe Grain Boundaries
journal, October 2008
- Zhang, Lixin; Da Silva, Juarez L. F.; Li, Jingbo
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 101, Issue 15
Numerical simulation of cross section electron-beam induced current in thin-film solar-cells for low and high injection conditions
journal, October 2013
- Nichterwitz, Melanie; Unold, Thomas
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 114, Issue 13
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
Effect of chlorine activation treatment on electron beam induced current signal distribution of cadmium telluride thin film solar cells
journal, October 2013
- Zywitzki, Olaf; Modes, Thomas; Morgner, Henry
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 114, Issue 16
Near-Unity Quantum Yields from Chloride Treated CdTe Colloidal Quantum Dots
journal, October 2014
- Page, Robert C.; Espinobarro-Velazquez, Daniel; Leontiadou, Marina A.
- Small, Vol. 11, Issue 13
Determination of Polarization-Fields Across Polytype Interfaces in InAs Nanopillars
journal, November 2013
- Li, Luying; Gan, Zhaofeng; McCartney, Martha R.
- Advanced Materials, Vol. 26, Issue 7
Last Progress in CdTe/CdS Thin Film Solar Cell Fabrication Process
journal, January 2014
- Romeo, N.; Bosio, A.; Menossi, D.
- Energy Procedia, Vol. 57
Effects of CdCl2 treatment on the recrystallization and electro-optical properties of CdTe thin films
journal, May 1998
- Moutinho, H. R.; Al-Jassim, M. M.; Levi, D. H.
- Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, Vol. 16, Issue 3
Solar-energy conversion and light emission in an atomic monolayer p–n diode
journal, March 2014
- Pospischil, Andreas; Furchi, Marco M.; Mueller, Thomas
- Nature Nanotechnology, Vol. 9, Issue 4
Interface and Composition Analysis on Perovskite Solar Cells
journal, November 2015
- Matteocci, Fabio; Busby, Yan; Pireaux, Jean-Jacques
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Vol. 7, Issue 47
Nanoscale doping profiles within CdTe grain boundaries and at the CdS/CdTe interface revealed by atom probe tomography and STEM EBIC
journal, June 2016
- Poplawsky, Jonathan D.; Li, Chen; Paudel, Naba R.
- Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 150
Design of Epitaxial CdTe Solar Cells on InSb Substrates
journal, November 2015
- Song, Tao; Kanevce, Ana; Sites, James R.
- IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 5, Issue 6
Crystal Phase Quantum Dots
journal, April 2010
- Akopian, N.; Patriarche, G.; Liu, L.
- Nano Letters, Vol. 10, Issue 4
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
Atomic-resolution characterization of the effects of CdCl 2 treatment on poly-crystalline CdTe thin films
journal, August 2014
- Paulauskas, T.; Buurma, C.; Colegrove, E.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 7
Understanding Individual Defects in CdTe Solar Cells: From Atomic Structure to Electrical Activity
journal, August 2014
- Li, Chen; Wu, Yelong; Poplawsky, Jonathan
- Microscopy and Microanalysis, Vol. 20, Issue S3
Why CuInGaSe2 and CdTe polycrystalline thin film solar cells are more efficient than the corresponding single crystal?
journal, November 2005
- Bosio, A.; Romeo, N.; Podestà, A.
- Crystal Research and Technology, Vol. 40, Issue 10-11
Investigation of junction properties of CdS/CdTe solar cells and their correlation to device properties
conference, May 2008
- Dhere, R. G.; Zhang, Y.; Romero, M. J.
- 2008 33rd IEEE Photovolatic Specialists Conference (PVSC)
Direct Electronic Property Imaging of a Nanocrystal-Based Photovoltaic Device by Electron Beam-Induced Current via Scanning Electron Microscopy
journal, February 2014
- Ng, Amy; Poplawsky, Jonathan D.; Li, Chen
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Vol. 5, Issue 5
Photovoltaic Heterojunctions of Fullerenes with MoS 2 and WS 2 Monolayers
journal, March 2014
- Gan, Li-Yong; Zhang, Qingyun; Cheng, Yingchun
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Vol. 5, Issue 8
Dynamic Fluctuations in Ultrasmall Nanocrystals Induce White Light Emission
journal, May 2012
- Pennycook, Timothy J.; McBride, James R.; Rosenthal, Sandra J.
- Nano Letters, Vol. 12, Issue 6
How Polycrystalline Devices Can Outperform Single-Crystal Ones: Thin Film CdTe/CdS Solar Cells
journal, June 2004
- Visoly-Fisher, I.; Cohen, S. R.; Ruzin, A.
- Advanced Materials, Vol. 16, Issue 11
A contactless method for measuring the recombination velocity of an individual grain boundary in thin-film photovoltaics
journal, August 2010
- Mendis, B. G.; Bowen, L.; Jiang, Q. Z.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 97, Issue 9
Efficiency of ab-initio total energy calculations for metals and semiconductors using a plane-wave basis set
journal, July 1996
- Kresse, G.; Furthmüller, J.
- Computational Materials Science, Vol. 6, Issue 1, p. 15-50
A New Silicon Drift Detector for High Spatial Resolution STEM-XEDS: Performance and Applications
journal, July 2014
- Phillips, Patrick J.; Paulauskas, Tadas; Rowlands, Neil
- Microscopy and Microanalysis, Vol. 20, Issue 4
Grain-Boundary-Enhanced Carrier Collection in CdTe Solar Cells
journal, April 2014
- Li, Chen; Wu, Yelong; Poplawsky, Jonathan
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 112, Issue 15
Enhanced Photovoltaic Performance of CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 Perovskite Solar Cells through Interfacial Engineering Using Self-Assembling Monolayer
journal, February 2015
- Zuo, Lijian; Gu, Zhuowei; Ye, Tao
- Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 137, Issue 7
Sequential deposition as a route to high-performance perovskite-sensitized solar cells
journal, July 2013
- Burschka, Julian; Pellet, Norman; Moon, Soo-Jin
- Nature, Vol. 499, Issue 7458, p. 316-319
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
Vibrational spectroscopy in the electron microscope
journal, October 2014
- Krivanek, Ondrej L.; Lovejoy, Tracy C.; Dellby, Niklas
- Nature, Vol. 514, Issue 7521
Bilayer Phosphorene: Effect of Stacking Order on Bandgap and Its Potential Applications in Thin-Film Solar Cells
journal, March 2014
- Dai, Jun; Zeng, Xiao Cheng
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Vol. 5, Issue 7
Extraordinary Sunlight Absorption and One Nanometer Thick Photovoltaics Using Two-Dimensional Monolayer Materials
journal, July 2013
- Bernardi, Marco; Palummo, Maurizia; Grossman, Jeffrey C.
- Nano Letters, Vol. 13, Issue 8, p. 3664-3670
Nanoscale Imaging of Photocurrent and Efficiency in CdTe Solar Cells
journal, October 2014
- Leite, Marina S.; Abashin, Maxim; Lezec, Henri J.
- ACS Nano, Vol. 8, Issue 11
S–Te Interdiffusion within Grains and Grain Boundaries in CdTe Solar Cells
journal, November 2014
- Li, C.; Poplawsky, J.; Paudel, N.
- IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 4, Issue 6
The effect of the CdCl2 treatment on CdTe/CdS thin film solar cells studied using deep level transient spectroscopy
journal, May 2003
- Komin, V.; Tetali, B.; Viswanathan, V.
- Thin Solid Films, Vol. 431-432
Column-by-column observation of dislocation motion in CdTe: Dynamic scanning transmission electron microscopy
journal, October 2016
- Li, Chen; Zhang, Yu-Yang; Pennycook, Timothy J.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 109, Issue 14
Carrier Separation at Dislocation Pairs in CdTe
journal, August 2013
- Li, Chen; Wu, Yelong; Pennycook, Timothy J.
- Physical Review Letters, Vol. 111, Issue 9
Long-Range Balanced Electron- and Hole-Transport Lengths in Organic-Inorganic CH3NH3PbI3
journal, October 2013
- Xing, G.; Mathews, N.; Sun, S.
- Science, Vol. 342, Issue 6156, p. 344-347
Fully Printable Mesoscopic Perovskite Solar Cells with Organic Silane Self-Assembled Monolayer
journal, January 2015
- Liu, Linfeng; Mei, Anyi; Liu, Tongfa
- Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 137, Issue 5
Thin-film polycrystalline Si solar cells on foreign substrates: film formation at intermediate temperatures (700–1300 °C)
journal, August 2004
- Beaucarne, G.; Bourdais, S.; Slaoui, A.
- Applied Physics A, Vol. 79, Issue 3
Efficient planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells by vapour deposition
journal, September 2013
- Liu, Mingzhen; Johnston, Michael B.; Snaith, Henry J.
- Nature, Vol. 501, Issue 7467, p. 395-398
A low-cost non-toxic post-growth activation step for CdTe solar cells
journal, June 2014
- Major, J. D.; Treharne, R. E.; Phillips, L. J.
- Nature, Vol. 511, Issue 7509
Monolayer MoS2 Heterojunction Solar Cells
journal, July 2014
- Tsai, Meng-Lin; Su, Sheng-Han; Chang, Jan-Kai
- ACS Nano, Vol. 8, Issue 8, p. 8317-8322
Detailed Balance Limit of Efficiency of p‐n Junction Solar Cells
journal, March 1961
- Shockley, William; Queisser, Hans J.
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 32, Issue 3, p. 510-519
Creating a single twin boundary between two CdTe (111) wafers with controlled rotation angle by wafer bonding
journal, December 2013
- Sun, Ce; Lu, Ning; Wang, Jinguo
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 25
Physics of grain boundaries in polycrystalline photovoltaic semiconductors
journal, March 2015
- Yan, Yanfa; Yin, Wan-Jian; Wu, Yelong
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 117, Issue 11
Photovoltaic Effect in an Electrically Tunable van der Waals Heterojunction
journal, July 2014
- Furchi, Marco M.; Pospischil, Andreas; Libisch, Florian
- Nano Letters, Vol. 14, Issue 8
An electron microscope for the aberration-corrected era
journal, February 2008
- Krivanek, O. L.; Corbin, G. J.; Dellby, N.
- Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 108, Issue 3
Local electrical characterization of cadmium telluride solar cells using low-energy electron beam
journal, October 2013
- Yoon, Heayoung P.; Haney, Paul M.; Ruzmetov, Dmitry
- Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol. 117
Column-by-Column Imaging of Dislocation Slip Processes in CdTe
journal, August 2014
- Li, Chen; Wu, Yelong; Lupini, Andrew R.
- Microscopy and Microanalysis, Vol. 20, Issue S3
Progress towards a CdS/CdTe solar cell implementing An Electron Reflector
conference, June 2013
- Kobyakov, Pavel S.; Swanson, Drew E.; Drayton, Jennifer
- 2013 IEEE 39th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC)
In-depth analysis of chloride treatments for thin-film CdTe solar cells
journal, October 2016
- Major, J. D.; Al Turkestani, M.; Bowen, L.
- Nature Communications, Vol. 7, Issue 1
Works referencing / citing this record:
Optical probing of extended defects in CdTe virtual substrates via isolated emitters produced by weakly perturbed fragments of partial dislocations
journal, December 2019
- Krivobok, V. S.; Chentsov, S. I.; Nikolaev, S. N.
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 115, Issue 23
Elucidating the Mechanism of an RbF Post Deposition Treatment in CIGS Thin Film Solar Cells
journal, July 2018
- Kodalle, Tim; Heinemann, Marc D.; Greiner, Dieter
- Solar RRL, Vol. 2, Issue 9
Structure evolution of h.c.p./c.c.p. metal oxide interfaces in solid-state reactions
journal, August 2018
- Li, C.; Habler, G.; Griffiths, T.
- Acta Crystallographica Section A Foundations and Advances, Vol. 74, Issue 5
Structure evolution of hcp/ccp metal oxide interfaces in solid-state reactions
text, January 2018
- Li, C.; Habler, G.; Griffiths, T.
- arXiv
Materials Structure, Properties and Dynamics through Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
text, January 2019
- Pennycook, Stephen J.; Li, Changjian; Li, Mengsha
- arXiv
Materials Structure, Properties and Dynamics through Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
text, January 2019
- Pennycook, Stephen J.; Li, Changjian; Li, Mengsha
- arXiv
Material structure, properties, and dynamics through scanning transmission electron microscopy
journal, April 2018
- Pennycook, Stephen J.; Li, Changjian; Li, Mengsha
- Journal of Analytical Science and Technology, Vol. 9, Issue 1