Overcoming Carrier Concentration Limits in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films with In Situ Doping
Abstract
Abstract Thin film materials for photovoltaics such as cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper-indium diselenide-based chalcopyrites (CIGS), and lead iodide-based perovskites offer the potential of lower solar module capital costs and improved performance to microcrystalline silicon. However, for decades understanding and controlling hole and electron concentration in these polycrystalline films has been extremely challenging and limiting. Ionic bonding between constituent atoms often leads to tenacious intrinsic compensating defect chemistries that are difficult to control. Device modeling indicates that increasing CdTe hole density while retaining carrier lifetimes of several nanoseconds can increase solar cell efficiency to 25%. This paper describes in-situ Sb, As, and P doping and post-growth annealing that increases hole density from historic 10 14 limits to 10 16 –10 17 cm −3 levels without compromising lifetime in thin polycrystalline CdTe films, which opens paths to advance solar performance and achieve costs below conventional electricity sources.
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1619583
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1478186
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5K00-72611
Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322; 14519; PII: 32746
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Scientific Reports Journal Volume: 8 Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
- Publisher:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 14 SOLAR ENERGY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; semiconductors; solar cells; thin films; solar performance
Citation Formats
McCandless, Brian E., Buchanan, Wayne A., Thompson, Christopher P., Sriramagiri, Gowri, Lovelett, Robert J., Duenow, Joel, Albin, David, Jensen, Søren, Colegrove, Eric, Moseley, John, Moutinho, Helio, Harvey, Steve, Al-Jassim, Mowafak, and Metzger, Wyatt K. Overcoming Carrier Concentration Limits in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films with In Situ Doping. United Kingdom: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-32746-y.
McCandless, Brian E., Buchanan, Wayne A., Thompson, Christopher P., Sriramagiri, Gowri, Lovelett, Robert J., Duenow, Joel, Albin, David, Jensen, Søren, Colegrove, Eric, Moseley, John, Moutinho, Helio, Harvey, Steve, Al-Jassim, Mowafak, & Metzger, Wyatt K. Overcoming Carrier Concentration Limits in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films with In Situ Doping. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32746-y
McCandless, Brian E., Buchanan, Wayne A., Thompson, Christopher P., Sriramagiri, Gowri, Lovelett, Robert J., Duenow, Joel, Albin, David, Jensen, Søren, Colegrove, Eric, Moseley, John, Moutinho, Helio, Harvey, Steve, Al-Jassim, Mowafak, and Metzger, Wyatt K. Fri .
"Overcoming Carrier Concentration Limits in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films with In Situ Doping". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32746-y.
@article{osti_1619583,
title = {Overcoming Carrier Concentration Limits in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films with In Situ Doping},
author = {McCandless, Brian E. and Buchanan, Wayne A. and Thompson, Christopher P. and Sriramagiri, Gowri and Lovelett, Robert J. and Duenow, Joel and Albin, David and Jensen, Søren and Colegrove, Eric and Moseley, John and Moutinho, Helio and Harvey, Steve and Al-Jassim, Mowafak and Metzger, Wyatt K.},
abstractNote = {Abstract Thin film materials for photovoltaics such as cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper-indium diselenide-based chalcopyrites (CIGS), and lead iodide-based perovskites offer the potential of lower solar module capital costs and improved performance to microcrystalline silicon. However, for decades understanding and controlling hole and electron concentration in these polycrystalline films has been extremely challenging and limiting. Ionic bonding between constituent atoms often leads to tenacious intrinsic compensating defect chemistries that are difficult to control. Device modeling indicates that increasing CdTe hole density while retaining carrier lifetimes of several nanoseconds can increase solar cell efficiency to 25%. This paper describes in-situ Sb, As, and P doping and post-growth annealing that increases hole density from historic 10 14 limits to 10 16 –10 17 cm −3 levels without compromising lifetime in thin polycrystalline CdTe films, which opens paths to advance solar performance and achieve costs below conventional electricity sources.},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-018-32746-y},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = 1,
volume = 8,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Fri Sep 28 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Fri Sep 28 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-32746-y
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