Achievements and Challenges of CdS/CdTe Solar Cells

Thin film CdS/CdTe has long been regarded as one promising choice for the development of cost-effective and reliable solar cells. Efficiency as high as 16.5% has been achieved in CdS/CdTe heterojunction structure in laboratory in 2001, and current techniques for CdS/CdTe solar cells gradually step toward commercialization. This paper reviews some novel techniques mainly within two years to solve this problem from aspects of promotion of fabrication technology, structural modification, and choice of back contact materials.

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Nanocomposite (CuS) (ZnS)1 thin film back contact for CdTe solar cells: Toward a bifacial device

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells ◽

10.1016/j.solmat.2018.06.025 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 186 ◽

pp. 227-235 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Kamala Khanal Subedi ◽

Ebin Bastola ◽

Indra Subedi ◽

Zhaoning Song ◽

Khagendra P. Bhandari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Back Contact ◽

Cdte Solar Cells

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Alternative back contact materials for thin film Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Thin Solid Films ◽

10.1016/s0040-6090(03)00257-8 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 431-432 ◽

pp. 387-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 152

Author(s):

K. Orgassa ◽

H.W. Schock ◽

J.H. Werner

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Back Contact ◽

Contact Materials

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Development of Cu‐doped ZnTe as a back‐contact interface layer for thin‐film CdS/CdTe solar cells

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A Vacuum Surfaces and Films ◽

10.1116/1.580394 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 806-812 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

T. A. Gessert ◽

A. R. Mason ◽

P. Sheldon ◽

A. B. Swartzlander ◽

D. Niles ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Interface Layer ◽

Back Contact ◽

Contact Interface ◽

Cdte Solar Cells

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Investigation of Thin Film Solar Cells on CdS/CdTe Base with Different Back Contacts

Advances in Science and Technology ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/ast.74.119 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 74 ◽

pp. 119-123

Author(s):

G. Khrypunov ◽

A. Meriuts ◽

H. Klochko ◽

T. Shelest ◽

A. Khrypunova

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Potential Barrier ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Boundary Surface ◽

Base Layer ◽

Wave Radiation ◽

Back Contact ◽

Recombination Mechanism ◽

Cdte Solar Cells

The peculiarities of photo-electric processes in thin film CdS/CdTe solar cells (SC) with different back electrodes (Cu/Au, ITO, Cu/ITO) have been studied. As it was established by capacitance – voltage (C – V) characteristics, the potential barrier heights for CdTe/Cu/Au and CdTe/ITO were 0.3 eV and 2.2 eV, respectively. The concentrations of charge carriers near back contact consisted 91020 m–3 and 21021 m–3, respectively. A high carrier concentration and high potential barrier of the ITO back contact caused the tunnel – recombination mechanism of the charge transport. The investigations of CdS/CdTe/ITO SC spectral photosensitivity testify a negative impact of the developed grain-boundary surface of the base layer on the processes of diffusion and separation of non-equilibrium current carriers generated by short-wave radiation. It is shown that the deposition of Cu nanolayer before the deposition of ITO films give stable efficiency 10 % for bifacial CdS/CdTe solar cells.

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First-principles Study of Back Contact Effects on CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-1268-ee02-04 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1268 ◽

Author(s):

Mao-Hua Du

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

First Principles ◽

Cell Performance ◽

Thin Film Solar Cells ◽

Back Contact ◽

Cdte Thin Film ◽

Solar Cell Performance ◽

Cdte Solar Cells ◽

P Type

AbstractForming a chemically stable low-resistance back contact for CdTe thin film solar cells is critically important to the cell performance. This paper reports theoretical study of the effects of the back contact material, Sb2Te3, on the performance of the CdTe solar cells. First-principles calculations show that Sb impurities in p-type CdTe are donors and can diffuse with low diffusion barrier. There properties are clearly detrimental to the solar cell performance. The Sb segregation into the grain boundaries may be required to explain the good efficiencies for the CdTe solar cells with Sb2Te3 back contacts.

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Importance of electron current in p-type CdTe in CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells at forward bias

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-668-h9.5 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 668 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jutta Beier ◽

Marc Köntges ◽

Peter Nollet ◽

Stefaan Degrave ◽

Marc Burgelman

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Minority Carrier ◽

Voltage Dependence ◽

Forward Bias ◽

Back Contact ◽

Cdte Solar Cells ◽

Dependent Behavior ◽

Measurement Results ◽

P Type

ABSTRACTIn previous work [1,2], we modeled the cross-over of the I-V curves of thin film CdS/CdTe solar cells in terms of an electron (minority carrier) current in the vicinity of the back contact. In this work, we focus on the necessary extension of this analytical model based on a series of measurement results. Especially the wavelength and voltage dependence of the current at forward bias is illustrated in these measurements. The various possible causes for this kind of behavior are discussed and modeled. The extensions to the previous model, needed to describe the voltage and wavelength dependent behavior of I-V curves of real CdTe/CdS solar cells, are proposed.

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Application of bromide-iodide lead perovskite thin film as a copper-free back contact layer for CdTe solar cells

Solar Energy ◽

10.1016/j.solener.2021.11.005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 230 ◽

pp. 832-842

Author(s):

Biao Zhou ◽

Fan Zhang ◽

Junlin Zhang ◽

Xiutao Yang ◽

Kelin Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Contact Layer ◽

Back Contact ◽

Cdte Solar Cells

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MoOx as an Efficient and Stable Back Contact Buffer for Thin Film CdTe Solar Cells

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/opl.2012.1164 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 1447 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hao Lin ◽

Wei Xia ◽

Hsiang N. Wu ◽

Ching W. Tang ◽

Irfan Irfan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Solar Cells ◽

Work Function ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Surface Cleaning ◽

Back Contact ◽

Metal Electrodes ◽

Low Resistance ◽

Cdte Solar Cells ◽

Cell Stability

ABSTRACTA low-resistance back contact for n-CdS/p-CdTe solar cells has been developed, which utilizes a thermally evaporated MoOx thin film as the buffer layer between the p-CdTe and the back electrode. The low-resistance behavior of back contact is attributed to the high work function of MoOx, which reportedly is as high as 6.8 eV, and thus adequately matches that of p-CdTe. With MoOx as the buffer, a variety of common metals, even those with a low work function such as Al, have been found to be useful as the electrode in forming the back contact. Other advantages of the MoOx buffer include dry application by vacuum deposition, and thus it is particularly suitable for the fabrication of ultra-thin CdTe solar cells without introducing additional shorting defects. Surface cleaning of CdTe films prior to MoOx deposition has also been studied. The cell stability has been evaluated through thermal annealing tests. Thermal degradation has been explained in terms of oxidation of the metal electrodes. CdTe cells with high efficiency and good stability have been demonstrated with MoOx as the back contact buffer and Ni as the electrode.

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