Electrical characterization and aging of CdTe thin film solar cells with Bi&lt;inf&gt;2&lt;/inf&gt;Te&lt;inf&gt;3&lt;/inf&gt; back contact

Romeo, Alessandro; Salavei, Andrei; Rimmaudo, I.; Bosio, A.; Menossi, Daniele; Piccinelli, Fabio; Romeo, N.

doi:10.1109/pvsc.2013.6744350

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Then, all the stacked layers are treated at 670 K in a chlorine-containing atmosphere with a new method described in the "the chlorine treatment" session of this paper. Finally, the device is completed by depositing the back-contact, consisting of two layers: a 150 nm thick M 2 Te 3 film (M = Sb, As, Bi), covered by a 150 nm thick Mo film [22,23]. These layers are both deposited by DC sputtering.…”

Section: The Solar Cellmentioning

confidence: 99%

How the Chlorine Treatment and the Stoichiometry Influences the Grain Boundary Passivation in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films

et al. 2016

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Abstract:The absorption coefficient of CdTe is large enough to assure that all of the visible light is absorbed in a thickness on the order of 1 µm. High efficiency devices are fabricated by using close-spaced sublimation (CSS)-deposited CdTe films with a thickness in the range of 6-8 µm. In order to decrease the thickness of the CdTe film, a novel approach has been used. On top of the CdTe film, whose thickness is reduced to 2-3 µm, another CdTe layer is deposited by RF sputtering, with a thickness of 100-200 nm. The purpose of this approach is to fill up the voids, which tend to form when a low thickness-CdTe film is deposited by close-spaced sublimation. Using this CdTe double layer, solar cells, with an efficiency greater than 15%, were reproducibly obtained. Since the CdTe layer deposited by the CSS technique shows a p-type behavior, whereas the layer deposited by sputtering is n-type, it is supposed that the formation of a p-n junction into the grain boundaries, which makes a mirror for the charge carriers, increases their mean lifetime. In order to also have this system after the essential chlorine treatment of the CdTe layer, a special cadmium-free halogen treatment was developed. This process was especially tuned for very thin (ď3 µm) CdTe film thickness and for not making use of cadmium-based chlorine salt while, producing high efficiency devices, meets a better economic and environmental sustainability.

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Section: The Solar Cellmentioning

confidence: 99%

How the Chlorine Treatment and the Stoichiometry Influences the Grain Boundary Passivation in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films

et al. 2016

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“…This produces a “p + ” layer at the near back surface which allows carriers to tunnel through the barrier . The mechanism of Cu doping for CdTe has been widely studied and utilized in a variety of manners such as via simple copper evaporation or via inclusion in buffer layers at the back surface …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cu has previously been detected at the CdTe/CdS interface and at the CdS/CdTe junction forming recombination centres and shunt pathways . For this reason, different approaches have been applied to stabilize Cu at the back contact: such as the formation of Cu x Te compounds by CdTe etching and subsequent Cu deposition, or the use of buffer layers such as As 2 Te 3 and Bi 2 Te 3 in order to avoid copper diffusion, or the development of a ZnTe:Cu back contact …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of a novel CuCl₂ back contact process for improved stability in CdTe solar cells

Artegiani

Menossi

Shiel

et al. 2019

Progress in Photovoltaics

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One of the crucial points in the production of CdTe solar cells is the insertion of copper in the back contact and in the absorber. As demonstrated by the top performing devices presented in literature: copper is necessary for high efficiency devices. However, despite this, copper was found to be a fast diffuser degrading the cell in the long term. Different approaches for limiting this effect have been widely presented from several laboratories, from the preparation of CuxTe by the controlled evaporation of Cu and Te to the application of ZnTe, which incorporates Cu, blocking its diffusion in the bulk. We have developed a wet deposition method for inserting in the CdTe structure a quantity of copper equivalent to a 0.1‐nm‐thick Cu layer. We are able to reach similar efficiencies to the ones of devices with a standard 2‐nm‐thick evaporated copper layer, but with a dramatic improvement in performance stability.

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“…and Myers (2015)112 measured a valence band offset of 0.22 eV for the Bi 2 Te 3 /CdTe (111) interface. Romeo et al (2013)113 used Bi 2 Te 3 as a back contact material achieving 10.2% PCE (V oc 775 mV, J sc 22.9 mA cm −2 , and FF 57.5%). Tang et al (2014)114 reported similar PCE and FF values, with a lower V oc .Romeo et al (2017) …”

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confidence: 99%

Back contacts materials used in thin film CdTe solar cells—A review

Hall

Lamb

Irvine

2021

Energy Science & Engineering

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Electrical characterization and aging of CdTe thin film solar cells with Bi<inf>2</inf>Te<inf>3</inf> back contact

Cited by 10 publications

References 7 publications

How the Chlorine Treatment and the Stoichiometry Influences the Grain Boundary Passivation in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films

How the Chlorine Treatment and the Stoichiometry Influences the Grain Boundary Passivation in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films

Analysis of a novel CuCl₂ back contact process for improved stability in CdTe solar cells

Back contacts materials used in thin film CdTe solar cells—A review

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Electrical characterization and aging of CdTe thin film solar cells with Bi<inf>2</inf>Te<inf>3</inf> back contact

Cited by 10 publications

References 7 publications

How the Chlorine Treatment and the Stoichiometry Influences the Grain Boundary Passivation in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films

How the Chlorine Treatment and the Stoichiometry Influences the Grain Boundary Passivation in Polycrystalline CdTe Thin Films

Analysis of a novel CuCl2 back contact process for improved stability in CdTe solar cells

Back contacts materials used in thin film CdTe solar cells—A review

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Analysis of a novel CuCl₂ back contact process for improved stability in CdTe solar cells