Electrical Characterization of Cu Composition Effects in CdS/CdTe Thin-Film Solar Cells With a ZnTe:Cu Back Contact

Jian V. Li; Joel N. Duenow; Darius Kuciauskas; Ana Kanevce; Ramesh G. Dhere; Matthew R. Young; Dean H. Levi

doi:10.1109/JPHOTOV.2013.2257919

Electrical Characterization of Cu Composition Effects in CdS/CdTe Thin-Film Solar Cells With a ZnTe:Cu Back Contact

Jian V. Li, Joel N. Duenow, Darius Kuciauskas, Ana Kanevce, Ramesh G. Dhere, Matthew R. Young, Dean H. Levi

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

We study the effects of Cu composition on the CdTe/ZnTe:Cu back contact and the bulk CdTe. For the back contact, its potential barrier decreases with Cu concentration, while its saturation current density increases. For the bulk CdTe, the hole density increases with Cu concentration. We identify a Cu-related deep level at ∼0.55 eV whose concentration is significant when the Cu concentration is high. The device performance, which initially improves with Cu concentration then decreases, reflects the interplay between the positive influences (reducing the back-contact potential barrier while increasing the saturation current density of the back contact and hole density in CdTe bulk) and negative influences (increasing deep levels in CdTe) of Cu.

Original language	American English
Article number	6509932
Pages (from-to)	1095-1099
Number of pages	5
Journal	IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics
Volume	3
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2013.2257919 https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2013.2257919
State	Published - 2013

NREL Publication Number

NREL/JA-5200-60311

Keywords

Admittance measurement
capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristics
CdTe
charge carrier density
contacts
defect

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Li, J. V., Duenow, J. N., Kuciauskas, D., Kanevce, A., Dhere, R. G., Young, M. R., & Levi, D. H. (2013). Electrical Characterization of Cu Composition Effects in CdS/CdTe Thin-Film Solar Cells With a ZnTe:Cu Back Contact. IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, 3(3), 1095-1099. Article 6509932. https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2013.2257919, https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOTOV.2013.2257919

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abstract = "We study the effects of Cu composition on the CdTe/ZnTe:Cu back contact and the bulk CdTe. For the back contact, its potential barrier decreases with Cu concentration, while its saturation current density increases. For the bulk CdTe, the hole density increases with Cu concentration. We identify a Cu-related deep level at ∼0.55 eV whose concentration is significant when the Cu concentration is high. The device performance, which initially improves with Cu concentration then decreases, reflects the interplay between the positive influences (reducing the back-contact potential barrier while increasing the saturation current density of the back contact and hole density in CdTe bulk) and negative influences (increasing deep levels in CdTe) of Cu.",

keywords = "Admittance measurement, capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristics, CdTe, charge carrier density, contacts, defect",

author = "Li, {Jian V.} and Duenow, {Joel N.} and Darius Kuciauskas and Ana Kanevce and Dhere, {Ramesh G.} and Young, {Matthew R.} and Levi, {Dean H.}",

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AU - Kanevce, Ana

AU - Dhere, Ramesh G.

AU - Young, Matthew R.

AU - Levi, Dean H.

PY - 2013

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AB - We study the effects of Cu composition on the CdTe/ZnTe:Cu back contact and the bulk CdTe. For the back contact, its potential barrier decreases with Cu concentration, while its saturation current density increases. For the bulk CdTe, the hole density increases with Cu concentration. We identify a Cu-related deep level at ∼0.55 eV whose concentration is significant when the Cu concentration is high. The device performance, which initially improves with Cu concentration then decreases, reflects the interplay between the positive influences (reducing the back-contact potential barrier while increasing the saturation current density of the back contact and hole density in CdTe bulk) and negative influences (increasing deep levels in CdTe) of Cu.

KW - Admittance measurement

KW - capacitance-voltage (CV) characteristics

KW - CdTe

KW - charge carrier density

KW - contacts

KW - defect

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Electrical Characterization of Cu Composition Effects in CdS/CdTe Thin-Film Solar Cells With a ZnTe:Cu Back Contact

Abstract

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Keywords

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