Abstract
A commonly used process for forming low-resistance contacts to thin-film p-type CdTe involves the formation of a Te layer by etching the CdTe film in a concentrated mixture of nitric and phosphoric acids. The authors compare evaporated Te back contacts with 'control' back contacts formed by the usual etching process, and demonstrate that evaporating Te onto a CdTe thin film is a viable processfor forming a low-resistance contact. The best efficiency achieved for a CdTe solar cell made with an evaporated Te back contact is 12.1%, whereas the efficiency of the device made with the control back contact was 11.9%. The evaporation process offers numerous advantages over acid etching, most notably vacuum compatibility amenable to large-scale production of CdTe solar cell modules.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 225-229 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1996 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/JA-412-20401