Title :
CdTe1-xSx absorber layers for thin-film CdTe/CdS solar cells
Author :
McCandless, Brian E. ; Birkmire, Robert W.
Author_Institution :
Inst. of Energy Conversion, Delaware Univ., Newark, DE, USA
fDate :
29 Sep-3 Oct 1997
Abstract :
Fabrication of high efficiency superstrate CdTe/CdS solar cells results in diffusion of CdS into the CdTe layer. Control of this diffusion is critical for processing cells with ultra-thin CdS layers. Two approaches are presented for retarding the diffusion of CdS into the CdTe-based absorber layer during chloride treatment of superstrate thin-film CdTe/CdS solar cells. One approach utilizes as-deposited CdTe 1-xSx alloy absorber layers with x near the thermodynamic limit of CdS-CdTe alloys to reduce the driving force for CdS diffusion. The second approach employs an anneal at T>550°C prior to chloride heat treatment to reduce diffusion pathways near the absorber-window layer interface. X-ray diffraction, optical, and quantum efficiency measurements were used to quantify changes in CdS thickness and absorber layer composition
Keywords :
II-VI semiconductors; X-ray diffraction; annealing; cadmium compounds; diffusion; solar cells; CdS diffusion; CdTe-CdS; CdTe1-xSx absorber layers; CdTeS; X-ray diffraction; absorber-window layer interface; annealing; chloride treatment; diffusion pathways reduction; high efficiency superstrate solar cells; optical efficiency measurement; quantum efficiency measurement; thermodynamic limit; thin-film CdTe/CdS solar cells; ultra-thin CdS layers; Annealing; Fabrication; Heat treatment; Optical diffraction; Photovoltaic cells; Thermal force; Thermodynamics; Thickness measurement; Transistors; X-ray diffraction;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1997., Conference Record of the Twenty-Sixth IEEE
Conference_Location :
Anaheim, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3767-0
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1997.654090
