Title :
Comparison between research-grade and commercially available SnO2 for thin-film CdTe solar cells
Author :
Li, Xiaonan ; Pankow, Joel ; To, Bobby ; Gessert, Timothy
Author_Institution :
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401, USA
Abstract :
A comparison between research-grade, tin-oxide (SnO2) thin films and those available from commercial sources is performed. The research-grade SnO2 film is fabricated at NREL by low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The commercial SnO2 films are Pilkington Tec 8 and Tec 15 fabricated by atmospheric-pressure chemical vapor deposition. Optical, structural, and compositional analyses are performed. From the optical analysis, an estimation of the current losses due to the SnO2 layer and glass is provided. Our analysis indicates that the optical properties of commercial SnO2 could be improved for PV usage.
Keywords :
Absorption; Biomedical optical imaging; Chemical vapor deposition; Glass; Laboratories; Optical films; Performance analysis; Photovoltaic cells; Substrates; Thin film devices;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 2008. PVSC '08. 33rd IEEE
Conference_Location :
San Diego, CA, USA
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1640-0
Electronic_ISBN :
0160-8371
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.2008.4922891
