Title :
Polycrystalline thin film CdTe solar cells fabricated by electrodeposition
Author :
Kim, Donghwan ; Pozder, Scott ; Zhu, Yuming ; Trefny, John U.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys., Colorado Sch. of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
Abstract :
Several issues regarding the fabrication of CdTe solar cells by electrodeposition have been investigated. The CdTe deposition parameters were optimized as follows: the deposition current density Jdep=0.33-0.40 mA/cm2, the anode current ratio R TeCd/=2.7, and the deposition potential Vdep=-600 mV against a Ag/AgCl reference electrode. CdCl2, treatment and subsequent annealing made a significant change in the composition: the film became Cd-rich throughout its whole thickness, and the concentrations of both Cd and CI increased near the surface. Electron beam-induced current (EBIC) data showed a peak inside the CdTe layer suggesting a buried homojunction. Use of CdS double layers composed of a CdCl2-treated, annealed CdS underlayer covered with an as-deposited CdS overlayer resulted in a significant increase in open-circuit voltage V∝ up to 0.78 V. 11.0% CdS/CdTe/Au dot cells (0.033 cm2) have been produced in this work
Keywords :
EBIC; II-VI semiconductors; annealing; cadmium compounds; electrodeposition; electrodeposits; p-n junctions; semiconductor device testing; semiconductor growth; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; -600 mV; 0.78 V; CdTe; annealing; anode current ratio; buried homojunction; deposition current density; deposition parameters; dot cells; electrodeposition; electron beam-induced current; fabrication; open-circuit voltage; polycrystalline semiconductor; reference electrode; thin-film solar cells; Annealing; Anodes; Current density; Electrodes; Electron beams; Fabrication; Photovoltaic cells; Surface treatment; Tellurium; Transistors;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, 1994., Conference Record of the Twenty Fourth. IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference - 1994, 1994 IEEE First World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Waikoloa, HI
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1460-3
DOI :
10.1109/WCPEC.1994.519969
