Technical and economic opportunities for CdTe PV at the turn of the millennium

Zapukhlyak

et al. 2017

PCSS

Thin films of CdTe were obtained by vapor phase condensation, namely by open vacuum evaporation, using different technological factors, in particular, different thickness (different time of deposition t) d = (540 -2835) nm, deposition temperature T v = 200°C and evaporator temperature T e (500 -600)°C. The films were deposited on silicon substrates. The morphology of thin film condensates is determined on the basis of ASM and SEM studies analysis. Were received dependences of avarage roughness and root mean square roughness from the material of substrate and film thickness. It was established that the growth of surface nanostructures is determined by Strankі-Krastanov mechanism.Кeywords: cadmium telluride, thin films, nanostructures, growth processes.Стаття поступила до редакції 15.09.2017; прийнята до друку 05.12.2017.

Section: Experiments Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Vapor Phase Condensation for Photovoltaic CdTe Films

Zapukhlyak

et al. 2017

PCSS

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films

“…46 Standard CdTe-based devices employ a superstrate configuration: production begins with a glass substrate followed by the successive deposition of the transparent conducting oxide ͑TCO, SnO 2 :F͒, the n-type window layer ͑CdS͒, the p-type CdTe absorber, and finally the back contact ͑ZnTe/Cu/ C͒. As pointed out by Meyers and Albright, 47 CdTe PV manufacturing is uniquely equipped to be integrated with the production of float line glass. Glass exits a float line at ϳ600°C, which happens to be an optimal temperature for vapor-phase deposition of the SnO 2 :F ͑FTO͒, CdS, and CdTe.…”

Section: B Cdtementioning

confidence: 99%

Photovoltaic manufacturing: Present status, future prospects, and research needs

Wolden¹,

Kurtin²,

Baxter³

et al. 2011

245

135

In May 2010 the United States National Science Foundation sponsored a two-day workshop to review the state-of-the-art and research challenges in photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing. This article summarizes the major conclusions and outcomes from this workshop, which was focused on identifying the science that needs to be done to help accelerate PV manufacturing. A significant portion of the article focuses on assessing the current status of and future opportunities in the major PV manufacturing technologies. These are solar cells based on crystalline silicon (c-Si), thin films of cadmium telluride (CdTe), thin films of copper indium gallium diselenide, and thin films of hydrogenated amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon. Current trends indicate that the cost per watt of c-Si and CdTe solar cells are being reduced to levels beyond the constraints commonly associated with these technologies. With a focus on TW/yr production capacity, the issue of material availability is discussed along with the emerging technologies of dye-sensitized solar cells and organic photovoltaics that are potentially less constrained by elemental abundance. Lastly, recommendations are made for research investment, with an emphasis on those areas that are expected to have cross-cutting impact.

“…3 Other advantages of CdTe are its low cost and adaptability to large-scale manufacturing. 4 The best efficiency reported for the thinfilm CdTe/CdS solar cells is 21.0% for lab-scale devices and greater than 17% for large-area modules. 5 CdTe films have been deposited by several methods such as vacuum evaporation, 6 close-space sublimation (CSS), 7 sputtering, 8 and electrodeposition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Deposition Conditions on Properties of All Sputtered CdS/CdTe Thin-Film Solar Cells

Kim¹,

D²,

Jp³

et al. 2016

j nanosci nanotechnol

The effects of deposition conditions, such as substrate temperature and CdCl2 post treatments, on the structural and optical properties of CdTe films were investigated. In addition, CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cells were fabricated by an all-sputtering process, and their photovoltaic characteristics were studied. The CdTe films had a polycrystalline, cubic structure with a preferred orientation of the [1 1 1] direction parallel to the substrate surface, regardless of the substrate temperature. As the substrate temperature increased, the crystallinity of CdTe films improved. The grain size of the CdTe films increased after CdCl2 post treatment. In addition, the optical band gap increased with the substrate temperature. The conversion efficiency of the CdS/CdTe solar cell improved at higher substrate temperatures. The maximum efficiency, 9.23%, was obtained at a substrate temperature of 400 degrees C, with an open-circuit voltage (V(oc)) of 0.78 V, a short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 20.4 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 0.58.