Toward Development of CdZnTe and CdMnTe Thin Film‐Based Solar Cells: Optimized Properties and a Comparative Performance Exploration

Abstract

Thin‐film solar cells (TFSCs) are garnering attention for their unstoppable growth as a sustainable energy source as well as their innovations and indispensability. TFSCs' efficiency has plateaued, necessitating the development of novel, practical, and inexpensive alternative energy sources. CdTe material lacks the band gap for the top layer. It can still be used as an absorber top layer in tandem photovoltaic cells by forming two new, promising materials, Cd1–xZnxTe (CZT) and Cd1–xMnxTe (CMT). Consequently, CZT and CMT based PV cells have been explored, and an attempt has been made to provide an alternative to cadmuim telluride. After exploring the physical properties of CZT and CMT thin films, CZT and CMT based photovoltaic cells were fabricated using the vacuum evaporation method. Both devices (with low absorber layer thickness, 1.05 µm) showed a power conversion efficiency of 6.67% and 6.11%, respectively. The depletion layer width and dopant densities of both photovoltaic cells were also determined by capacitance–voltage measurements. The quantum efficiencies were measured to identify the specific losses that are causing the measured short circuit current density to deviate from its ideal value. The reproducibility of the devices was also tested, and it is found to be good with an 8–12% deviation.

CdZnTe thin films as proficient absorber layer candidates in solar cell devices: a review

“…Accordingly, to achieve this and exceed the efficiency limit of single-junction cells, CdZnTe has emerged as a promising material that can be applied as an absorber layer not only in single-junction thin film solar cells but also in tandem architectures owing to its high absorption coefficient, mobility and tunable band gap. 117,149 CdZnTe thin film solar cells are fabricated with two configurations, either in the substrate (with architecture of metal substrate or metal coating substrate/p-CdZnTe/n-CdS/ITO/glass) structure or superstrate (with architecture Glass/ITO/CdS/CdZnTe/metal contact) structure. When a metal sheet or metallic-coated glass substrate with the desired dimensions as the base is employed, it is recognized as the substrate configuration, whereas the conducting transparent oxide-coated glass substrate comprising architecture is known as the superstrate configuration.…”