Single-Crystal CdTe Solar Cells with Voc Greater than 900 mV

Joel Duenow; David Albin; Darius Kuciauskas; Steven Johnston; Robert Reedy Jr.; Wyatt Metzger; James Burst

doi:10.1063/1.4892401

Single-Crystal CdTe Solar Cells with Voc Greater than 900 mV

Joel Duenow, David Albin, Darius Kuciauskas, Steven Johnston, Robert Reedy Jr., Wyatt Metzger, James Burst

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

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Abstract

We fabricated single-crystal CdTe photovoltaic devices in a heterojunction structure with an In-doped CdS window layer and ZnO/Al-doped ZnO front contact. By replacing the polycrystalline absorber layer of a CdTe solar cell with a single crystal, we were able to achieve open-circuit voltage (V_oc) as high as 929 mV. Simulations and measurements indicate that increased minority-carrier lifetime and carrier concentration can explain this high V _oc. Cu and Na both introduce transient effects in single-crystal CdTe similar to those observed in polycrystalline CdTe, suggesting that Group I dopants pose stability problems that are linked fundamentally to their defect chemistry in CdTe, regardless of the presence of grain boundaries.

Original language	American English
Article number	053903
Number of pages	4
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	105
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4892401 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4892401
State	Published - 4 Aug 2014

NREL Publication Number

NREL/JA-5K00-62147

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title = "Single-Crystal CdTe Solar Cells with Voc Greater than 900 mV",

abstract = "We fabricated single-crystal CdTe photovoltaic devices in a heterojunction structure with an In-doped CdS window layer and ZnO/Al-doped ZnO front contact. By replacing the polycrystalline absorber layer of a CdTe solar cell with a single crystal, we were able to achieve open-circuit voltage (Voc) as high as 929 mV. Simulations and measurements indicate that increased minority-carrier lifetime and carrier concentration can explain this high V oc. Cu and Na both introduce transient effects in single-crystal CdTe similar to those observed in polycrystalline CdTe, suggesting that Group I dopants pose stability problems that are linked fundamentally to their defect chemistry in CdTe, regardless of the presence of grain boundaries.",

author = "Joel Duenow and David Albin and Darius Kuciauskas and Steven Johnston and {Reedy Jr.}, Robert and Wyatt Metzger and James Burst",

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T1 - Single-Crystal CdTe Solar Cells with Voc Greater than 900 mV

AU - Duenow, Joel

AU - Albin, David

AU - Kuciauskas, Darius

AU - Johnston, Steven

AU - Reedy Jr., Robert

AU - Metzger, Wyatt

AU - Burst, James

PY - 2014/8/4

Y1 - 2014/8/4

N2 - We fabricated single-crystal CdTe photovoltaic devices in a heterojunction structure with an In-doped CdS window layer and ZnO/Al-doped ZnO front contact. By replacing the polycrystalline absorber layer of a CdTe solar cell with a single crystal, we were able to achieve open-circuit voltage (Voc) as high as 929 mV. Simulations and measurements indicate that increased minority-carrier lifetime and carrier concentration can explain this high V oc. Cu and Na both introduce transient effects in single-crystal CdTe similar to those observed in polycrystalline CdTe, suggesting that Group I dopants pose stability problems that are linked fundamentally to their defect chemistry in CdTe, regardless of the presence of grain boundaries.

AB - We fabricated single-crystal CdTe photovoltaic devices in a heterojunction structure with an In-doped CdS window layer and ZnO/Al-doped ZnO front contact. By replacing the polycrystalline absorber layer of a CdTe solar cell with a single crystal, we were able to achieve open-circuit voltage (Voc) as high as 929 mV. Simulations and measurements indicate that increased minority-carrier lifetime and carrier concentration can explain this high V oc. Cu and Na both introduce transient effects in single-crystal CdTe similar to those observed in polycrystalline CdTe, suggesting that Group I dopants pose stability problems that are linked fundamentally to their defect chemistry in CdTe, regardless of the presence of grain boundaries.

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DO - 10.1063/1.4892401

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VL - 105

JO - Applied Physics Letters

JF - Applied Physics Letters

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ER -

Single-Crystal CdTe Solar Cells with Voc Greater than 900 mV

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