Nanometer-Scale Imaging of Inhomogeneous Active Charge Carriers in Arsenic-Doped CdTe Thin Films

Chun Sheng Jiang, John Moseley, Chuanxiao Xiao, Steven Harvey, Eric Colegrove, Wyatt Metzger, Mowafak Al-Jassim

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaperpeer-review

Abstract

We report nanometer-scale imaging of active carrier distribution of As-doped CdTe films by scanning capacitance microscopy (SCM). We developed SCM sample preparation for CdTe by ion-milling followed by thermal processing. The nanometer-resolution carrier delineation for CdTe was validated by imaging on a CdTe cross-section sample made by a molecular beam epitaxy layer stack with As-doping concentrations of 1015∼1018/cm3. We found that the carrier distribution in As-doped films was significantly nonuniform, with inhomogeneity ranging from sub-μm to a few μm and concentration variation of one order of magnitude (low 1016 to low 1017/cm3). This nonuniformity is distributed randomly, independent of grain structure and grain boundary (GB). We used Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and cathodoluminescence (CL) to further map the surface potential and radiative illumination on the same area as the SCM image. Higher potential and lower CL intensity were found on GBs but not on SCM contrast, illustrating positive GB charging and GB recombination but not GB-distinguished doping. The overall KPFM potential image is in rough agreement with the SCM carrier distribution, in terms of Fermi-level position relative to the bandgap edge - thus resulting in the band-edge potential fluctuation. Nonuniform carrier concentration, potential fluctuation, and defect recombination can all together cause the Voc deficit of the As-doped CdTe device.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages786-790
Number of pages5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2019
Event46th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2019 - Chicago, United States
Duration: 16 Jun 201921 Jun 2019

Conference

Conference46th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityChicago
Period16/06/1921/06/19

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 IEEE.

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/CP-5K00-76313

Keywords

  • II-VI semiconductor materials
  • photovoltaic cells

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