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Title: Distribution of Copper States, Phases, and Defects across the Depth of a Cu-Doped CdTe Solar Cell

Journal Article · · Chemistry of Materials
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [3];  [4]; ORCiD logo [5];  [6];  [7]; ORCiD logo [8]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ (United States)
  2. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)
  3. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  4. First Solar, Perrysburg, OH (United States)
  5. Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Hamburg (Germany)
  6. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
  7. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
  8. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)

Copper has been used as a p-type dopant in cadmium telluride (CdTe) for decades. However, the density of Cu atoms in the finished device is much higher than that of holes, which means that most Cu atoms are not activated as acceptors during incorporation. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated that the distribution of copper (Cu) atoms across the device is highly inhomogeneous, with reports citing Cu substitution on Cd sites and segregation to grain boundaries. Fast diffusion along these boundaries and Cu accumulation at the CdTe/CdS interface have also been observed and validated computationally. These levels of inhomogeneity make it difficult to accurately characterize and correlate the performance with the nature of the Cu atomic species present. To address this challenge, we utilize X-ray microscopy and, specifically, nanoscale fluorescence-mode X-ray absorption near-edge structure to resolve the atomic Cu environment throughout the depth of the CdTe layer. Our results suggest that the majority of Cu atoms are in the form of CuxTe phases (or similar local environments) near the ZnTe|CdTe interface, CuxO phases in the CdTe absorber, and present in various oxidation states, including Cu1+ and Cu2+, near the CdS/CdTe junction. Here this work also provides experimental evidence for the first time of the presence of CuS around the ZnTe|CdTe interface and the hypothesized CuCd-Cli complex in the CdTe absorber.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308; EE0008163; EE0008754
OSTI ID:
2281544
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2514399
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA--5K00-86352; MainId:87125; UUID:5ff4909a-8dac-4daf-87f1-0a92892636d9; MainAdminID:71552
Journal Information:
Chemistry of Materials, Journal Name: Chemistry of Materials Journal Issue: 23 Vol. 35; ISSN 0897-4756
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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