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Title: Buffer/absorber interface recombination reduction and improvement of back-contact barrier height in CdTe solar cells

Abstract

Electronic properties of a CdTe solar cell are reported using temperature-dependent capacitance spectroscopy and current-voltage characteristics, the latter in dark and illuminated conditions. The baseline solar cell material stack investigated is comprised of soda-lime-glass/SnO2:F/SnO2/CdS:O-buffer/CdTe-absorber/Cu/Au. Properties are compared with CdTe solar cells in which the back surface was hydroiodic acid etched, before the back-contact formation, and a CdTe device in which Mg-doped ZnO (MZO) replaces buffer layer CdS. Reduced back-contact barrier height and grain boundary barrier height are observed in the HI treated CdTe cell. As a result, improved device performance in the MZO-based CdTe device is attributed to reduced emitter/absorber interface recombination when using the MZO window layer.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2];  [1]; ORCiD logo [3]
  1. Texas State Univ., San Marcos, TX (United States)
  2. The Univ. of Toledo, Toledo, OH (United States)
  3. National Cheng Kung Univ., Tainan (Taiwan)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Texas State Univ., San Marcos, TX (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
OSTI Identifier:
1579310
Grant/Contract Number:  
EE0007541
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Thin Solid Films
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 685; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0040-6090
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; Cadmium telluride solar cells; Back surface etching; Cadmium oxysulphide; Magnesium-doped zinc oxide; Buffer layers; Recombination; Defects; Charge carrier transport

Citation Formats

Paul, Sanjoy, Swartz, Craig, Sohal, Sandeep, Grice, Corey, Bista, Sandip Singh, Li, Deng -Bing, Yan, Yanfa, Holtz, Mark, and Li, Jian V. Buffer/absorber interface recombination reduction and improvement of back-contact barrier height in CdTe solar cells. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2019.06.058.
Paul, Sanjoy, Swartz, Craig, Sohal, Sandeep, Grice, Corey, Bista, Sandip Singh, Li, Deng -Bing, Yan, Yanfa, Holtz, Mark, & Li, Jian V. Buffer/absorber interface recombination reduction and improvement of back-contact barrier height in CdTe solar cells. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2019.06.058
Paul, Sanjoy, Swartz, Craig, Sohal, Sandeep, Grice, Corey, Bista, Sandip Singh, Li, Deng -Bing, Yan, Yanfa, Holtz, Mark, and Li, Jian V. Tue . "Buffer/absorber interface recombination reduction and improvement of back-contact barrier height in CdTe solar cells". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2019.06.058. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1579310.
@article{osti_1579310,
title = {Buffer/absorber interface recombination reduction and improvement of back-contact barrier height in CdTe solar cells},
author = {Paul, Sanjoy and Swartz, Craig and Sohal, Sandeep and Grice, Corey and Bista, Sandip Singh and Li, Deng -Bing and Yan, Yanfa and Holtz, Mark and Li, Jian V.},
abstractNote = {Electronic properties of a CdTe solar cell are reported using temperature-dependent capacitance spectroscopy and current-voltage characteristics, the latter in dark and illuminated conditions. The baseline solar cell material stack investigated is comprised of soda-lime-glass/SnO2:F/SnO2/CdS:O-buffer/CdTe-absorber/Cu/Au. Properties are compared with CdTe solar cells in which the back surface was hydroiodic acid etched, before the back-contact formation, and a CdTe device in which Mg-doped ZnO (MZO) replaces buffer layer CdS. Reduced back-contact barrier height and grain boundary barrier height are observed in the HI treated CdTe cell. As a result, improved device performance in the MZO-based CdTe device is attributed to reduced emitter/absorber interface recombination when using the MZO window layer.},
doi = {10.1016/j.tsf.2019.06.058},
journal = {Thin Solid Films},
number = C,
volume = 685,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jul 02 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Tue Jul 02 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
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Cited by: 12 works
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Figures / Tables:

Fig. 1 Fig. 1: SCAPS-1D generated energy band diagram of CdTe solar cells that shows (a) cliff(ΔEc < 0) and (b) spike-like (ΔEc > 0) positive conduction band offsets.

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