To make CdTe/CdS solar cells highly efficient, a Cu containing back contact (BC) is generally used. These cells degrade due to Cu diffusion to the front contact which causes shunting; this is shown with secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) depth profiling. To get a stable but still highly efficient cell, different BC materials and etching treatments were investigated. Chemical etching creates a back surface field (BSF) due to a p(+)-doped Te-rich CdTe surface. To overcome the naturally existing Schottky barrier between p-CdTe and any metal, a thin buffer layer was evaporated prior to the metallization. Amongst the many investigated BC materials, the most suitable are Sb or Sb(2)Te(3) as a buffer and Mo for metallization. These eels showed high stability under accelerated tests corresponding to 70 years.

Development of efficient and stable back contacts on CdTe/CdS solar cells

ROMEO, Alessandro;
2001-01-01

Abstract

To make CdTe/CdS solar cells highly efficient, a Cu containing back contact (BC) is generally used. These cells degrade due to Cu diffusion to the front contact which causes shunting; this is shown with secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) depth profiling. To get a stable but still highly efficient cell, different BC materials and etching treatments were investigated. Chemical etching creates a back surface field (BSF) due to a p(+)-doped Te-rich CdTe surface. To overcome the naturally existing Schottky barrier between p-CdTe and any metal, a thin buffer layer was evaporated prior to the metallization. Amongst the many investigated BC materials, the most suitable are Sb or Sb(2)Te(3) as a buffer and Mo for metallization. These eels showed high stability under accelerated tests corresponding to 70 years.
2001
thin film; CdTe; back contact; solar cells
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/307156
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