Advanced Processing of CdTe- and CuInxGa1-xSe2-Based Solar Cells: Phase I Report

The main tasks of the cadmium telluride portion of this project include the development of simplified processing for fabricating high-efficiency CdTe solar cells, studies on the long-term stability of CdTe devices, and the development of alternative transparent conducting oxides, window layers, and back contacts. The second portion of this project focused on CIGS solar cells. The main tasksinclude the development of a manufacturable process for CIGS devices and the development of high-band-gap alloys for use in tandem cell structures. Additional objectives include development of improved junction formation processing and contributing to the overall understanding of these materials and devices. Because our processing is manufacturing-driven, we use an all solid-state, simplifiedtwo-step process that relaxes the level of deposition control required.