Deposition and doping of CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells

1% oxygen is incorporated into both CdS and CdTe layers through RF sputtering of CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells. The optical and electrical parameters of the oxygenated and O₂-free devices are compared after CdCl₂ treatment and annealing in ambient Ar and/or air. The effects of ambient annealing on the electrical and optical properties of the films are investigated using current-voltage characterization, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and optical transmission spectroscopy. The 1% oxygen content can slightly increase the grain size while the crystallinity does not change. Annealing in ambient Ar can increase the transmission rate of the oxygenated devices.     

CdTe/CdS thin film solar cells grown in substrate configuration

The ability to grow efficient CdTe/CdS solar cells in substrate configuration would not only allow for the use of non‐transparent and flexible substrates but also enable a better control of junction formation. Yet, the problems of barrier formation at the back contact as well as the formation of a p–n junction with reduced recombination losses have to be solved. In this work, CdTe/CdS solar cells in substrate configuration were developed, and the results on different combinations of back contact materials are presented. The Cu content in the electrical back contact was found to be a crucial parameter for the optimal CdCl₂‐treatment procedure. For Cu‐free cells, two activation treatments were applied, whereas Cu‐containing cells were only treated once after the CdTe deposition. A recrystallization behavior of the CdTe layer upon its activation similar to superstrate configuration was found; however, no CdTe–CdS intermixing could be observed when the layers were treated consecutively. Remarkably high V_OC and fill factor of 768 mV and 68.6%, respectively, were achieved using a combination of MoO₃, Te, and Cu as back contact buffer layer resulting in 11.3% conversion efficiency. With a Cu‐free MoO₃/Te buffer material, a V_OC of 733 mV, a fill factor of 62.3%, and an efficiency of 10.0% were obtained. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short communication: Effects of heat treatments and CdCl2, pretreatments on the stoichiometries of solution-grown CdS thin films

Solution grorwth of CdS on SnO₂-coated glass with subsequent heat treatments is known to produce stoichiometric CdS thin films with characteristic thicknesses of about 1000 Å. We show that heating solution-grown CdS thin films in a nitrogen atmosphere to ⩾ 450° C results in sulphur loss. Heating to 550°C leads to a 50% loss of sulphur, leaving the entire 1000-A CdS thin film with a concentration of about 75 at.% Cd and 25 at.% S. However, dipping the CdS thin films in a CdCl₂ solution prior to heating coats the CdS, leaving a CdCl₂ layer that acts as a protective coating and prohibits the loss of sulphur. Cadmium sulphide thin films dipped in a CdCl₂ solution and then heated to 550°C are stoichiometric.     

Studies on sulfur diffusion into Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films

A systematic study was carried out to investigate the distribution of sulfur (S) in CuInSe₂ (CIS) and Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) absorbers which were exposed to an H₂S atmosphere at elevated temperature. Results demonstrated that S diffusion into CIS layers was a strong function of the original stoichiometry of the absorber before sulfurization. Sulfur inclusion into Cu‐rich CIS films was much more favorable compared to S diffusion in Cu‐poor layers. The sulfur distribution profile was also strongly influenced by the micro‐structure of the original CIS and CIGS layers, with sections of the films with smaller grains accommodating more S. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel CdCl2 treatment for glass/SnO2/CBD-CdS/CdTe solar cell

Residual CdCl₂ in chemical bath deposited (CBD) CdS layer was utilized to observe grain growth in CdTe layer for glass/SnO₂/CBD-CdS/CdTe structures. The above as-deposited composite films were subjected to rapid thermal annealing (RTA) for observing grain growth and subsequent cell fabrication. The films were characterized by studying their microstructural and compositional properties. Interfacial mixing behavior was studied by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) measurements which showed a slight interfacial diffusion of the CdS layer into the CdTe layer. Performance of a photovoltaic (PV) cell structure with non-optimized thickness of the CdTe and CdS layers obtained by this technique was studied. Carrier life time was obtained from V_oc decay measurement. Photoinduced charge separation observed in this glass/SnO₂/CBD–CdS/CdTe structure was associated with an increase in the dielectric constant and a decrease in the device resistance.     

Oxygen vacancy diffusion in SnO2 thin films

A novel technique for the measurement of the diffusion coefficient of oxygen vacancies in tin dioxide is presented. The method consists of a simple kinetic experiment which is conducted in a high-vacuum system. Samples of SnO₂ thin films, prepared by r.f. sputtering, are heated in the vacuum system at200°C for several hours. A controlled amount of oxygen is then introduced within the system, and the change in conductivity is monitored as a function of time. The observed kinetics are explained by solving Fick's equations of diffusion in one dimension.

From the results, a diffusion coefficient of 1.4 x 10^-13cm²s^-1 at 200°C is obtained. This is extended to a microscopic model for the jump frequencies of these vacancies in the semiconductor.

The results are useful in assessing the stability of the material, and should be of interest in all fields of application of the oxide.     

CdTe和CdTe/CdS量子点的量子尺寸效应

利用水热法合成了三种不同尺寸的单核CdTe量子点和核壳CdTe/CdS量子点。应用Top-hat Z-scan技术在纳秒、皮秒、飞秒激光脉冲作用下研究了三种不同尺寸单核CdTe量子点的非线性吸收特性。实验结果表明:在不同激光脉冲作用下三种不同尺寸的CdTe量子点的非线性吸收特性均表现为饱和吸收,并且均呈现出随着量子点尺寸的减小,其非线性吸收特性增大的趋势。为了进一步研究量子点尺寸的变化对非线性吸收特性的影响,又在飞秒激光脉冲作用下研究了核壳CdTe/CdS量子点的非线性吸收特性;随着包壳时间的增加,壳层厚度增加,量子点尺寸增加,其非线性吸收特性呈减小趋势,并且核壳CdTe/CdS量子点的非线性吸收特性明显优于单核CdTe量子点;分析讨论了单核CdTe量子点与核壳CdTe/CdS量子点的非线性吸收特性和量子尺寸效应机制,实验结果表明合成的量子点样品均具有良好的量子尺寸效应。     

The influence of substrate temperature on RF sputtered CdS thin films and CdS/p-Si heterojunctions

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were deposited onto soda lime glasses and p-Si semiconductors at various substrate temperatures (40, 150 and 275 °C) by radio frequency (RF) sputtering technique. The effect of substrate temperature on morphological, structural and optical properties of CdS thin films were analyzed by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and uv–vis spectrum data. The results showed that the average roughness (R_a) of thin films increased from 2.0 to 4.0 nm and all films had hexagonal wurtzite structure. The optical band gaps of CdS thin films varied between 2.46–2.43 eV. Characteristic parameters of CdS/p-Si heterojunctions including ideality factor, barrier height, series resistance and rectification ratio were measured. It was seen that both ideality factor and barrier height values of the heterojunctions increase with the increase substrate temperature. It was attributed to increase in inhomogenity of the thin films. Furthermore, the photoelectrical parameters of CdS/p-Si heterojunctions were studied.     

High-frequency current oscillations in vapour-deposited CdS thin films

High-frequency small-amplitude current modulation has been observed in a vapour-deposited CdS thin film subjected to high electric stress in the ruby substrate plane. The possibility that this modulation may be attributed to travelling-charge domains formed by acoustoelectric interaction in the acoustic waveguide system is discussed.     

Growth modes of solution-grown CdS thin films

The growth modes of CdS thin films on glass in a chemical bath were analysed using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. The results of these studies show that the film growth occurs by ion-by-ion condensation and by colloidal particles of CdS adhering to the substrate. Both mechanisms are operative from the initial stages of film growth. The predominance of one or other of these two growth modes depends on the abundance of Cd and S ions present in the solution, which is determined by the amount of complexing and sulphurising agents and ammonia used for the controlled release of Cd and S ions into the solution. The growth mode influences the optical properties of the films.     

Effect of rapid thermal annealing on properties of thermally evaporated nanostructured CdTe thin film treated with CdCl2

The effects of rapid thermal annealing on properties of crystalline nanostructured CdTe films treated with CdCl₂ and prepared by vacuum evaporation are described. X-ray diffraction confirmed the crystalline nature of post-treated films with high preferential orientation around 23.7°, corresponding to a (1 1 1) diffracted plane of cubic phase. Optical band gap of CdTe films increased from 1.4 eV to 1.48 eV after annealing at 500 °C for 90 s. Atomic force microscopy of annealed films revealed an increase in root mean square roughness and grain size with increased annealing time. Electrical measurements of as-grown and annealed films are consistent with p-type; film resistivity has decreased significantly with increased annealing time.     

Spectra of low-temperature photoluminescence in thin polycrystalline CdTe films

The band of intrinsic (e–h) radiation emission by the subsurface potential barriers of crystal grains and the edge doublet band arising as LO-phonon replicas of the e–h band are observed in the spectra of the low-temperature (4.2 K) photoluminescence of fine-grained (with a grain size of d_cr ≤ 1 µm) CdTe films. Film doping with the In impurity results in quenching of the doublet band, while heat treatment leads to activation of the intrinsic band, a short-wavelength shift of the red boundary (ΔE_r = 16–29 meV) and the halfwidth modulation (Δ_A = 6–17 meV) of which correlate with the height of micropotential barriers and the temperature of recombining hot photocarriers.     

Dielectric and transport properties of thin polycrystalline CdTe films

The electrical properties of vacuum-deposited CdTe thin films as functions of temperature, frequency, film thickness and applied field for various substrate temperatures are reported. A detailed examination of these results reveals the presence of an electron trap which is 0.58 eV below the conduction band edge with a density of (5?10) × 10¹⁵ cm^?3. The position of this trap correlates well with the reports of other investigators for CdTe single crystals and thin films. The dielectric constant evaluated (8.70) at 1 kHz is independent of film thickness. The AC conductivity of these samples investigated is proportional to ωⁿ, a being the angular-frequency and n a temperature-dependent quantity; the value of n decreases with increase in temperature. Analysis of the law-temperature frequency-dependent conductivity indicates that hopping is the dominant mechanism of conduction.     

溅射法制备n型碲化镉薄膜的光电化学特性研究

采用溅射法制备了n型碲化镉薄膜。研究了不同沉积时间制备的n型碲化镉薄膜的形貌、结构和光学性质,以及薄膜厚度和退火工艺对n型碲化镉薄膜光电化学特性的影响。实验结果表明,溅射时间为25 min的碲化镉薄膜具有较好的PEC性能。退火工艺可以提高沉积的n型碲化镉薄膜的光电化学性能。当用饱和氯化镉溶液涂覆碲化镉薄膜并在真空中400 ℃退火时,n型碲化镉薄膜的光电化学性能最佳,光电流达到301 μA/cm²。     

CdS amorphous thin films photochemical synthesis and optical characterization

Thin amorphous nanostructured CdS films were photochemically obtained via direct UV radiation (λ=254 nm) of complex Cd[(CH₃)₂CHCH₂CH₂OCS₂]₂ on Si(1 0 0) and ITO-covered glass substrate by spin coating. Thin cadmium xanthate complex films’ UV photolysis results in loss of all ligands from the coordination sphere. X-ray photoelectron spectra for as-deposited CdS thin films show the most representative signals of Cd 3d_5/2 located at 405 eV, Cd 3d_3/2 located at 412 eV and a small signal S 2p located at 162 eV. The surface morphology of the films was examined via atomic force microscopy. This can be described as a fibrous-type surface without structural order, which is characteristic of an amorphous deposit. The optical band gap value was 2.85 and 3.15±0.1 eV.     

CdTe/CdS、CdTe/ZnS核壳结构半导体量子点制备及荧光特性

核壳半导体量子点材料因其在修复单量子点表面缺陷方面的特殊性能,极大地提高了量子点的光学性能而受到人们的研究。改进了CdTe核心的制作方法,使用小型三口瓶替代传统的小烧瓶作为反应容器,制备碲氢化钠,合成了不同核心尺寸、不同壳层厚度与不同壳层材料的10种CdTe/CdS、CdTe/ZnS核壳结构半导体量子点。对10种核壳结构半导体量子点材料进行紫外可见吸收光谱及荧光光谱测试,并分析其荧光特性。量子点在紫外可见波段的吸收光谱表明随着量子点尺寸的增大,吸收峰发生红移。通过实验结果与分析可推断出CdTe/CdS量子点荧光寿命和强度的不同是由于核心和壳层尺寸的不同量子点在I型和II型中相互转换;CdTe/ZnS的壳层厚度增加时,由于ZnS的壳层降低了核心外表的悬空键和表面缺陷态的数量,使电子空穴对复合机率加大,使得荧光峰位产生了红移。     

多晶薄膜CdS／CdTe太阳电池

报道了转换效率为１４．６％～１５．８％的多晶薄膜ＣｄＳ／ＣｄＴｅ太阳电池的研制。用ＭＯＣＶＤ法，在玻璃衬底上制备ＳｎＯ＿２和ＳｎＯ＿２：Ｆ薄膜，水溶液化学淀积法获得８０～１００ｎｍ厚的ＣｄＳ薄膜和密堆积升华法制备５μｍ厚ＣｄＴｅ薄膜，ＣｄＳ／ＣｄＴｅ太阳电池的短路电流密度高达２４～２５ｍＡ／ｃｍ￣２。同时，对各层薄膜晶形和微观结构进行了分析研究。     

Chlorine-doped CdS thin films from CdCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>-mixed CdS powder

The CdS:Cl thin films have been prepared using thermally evaporated, CdCl₂-mixed CdS powder at 200°C substrate temperature. The percentage of CdCl₂ in the mixture varied from 0% to 0.20%. The electrical properties and the grain size of the deposited films were investigated. The results show that light doping, resistivity, carrier concentration, and mobility follow Seto’s model for polycrystalline material. However, with heavy doping, these properties undergo a saturation trend. The saturation behavior can be understood in terms of the rapid formation of the A-center complexes in the films. The deposited films were annealed at 250°C and 300°C. The resistivity of pure and lightly doped CdS films increased with annealing temperature, whereas carrier concentration and mobility in these films decreased. However, for the higher doping concentrations, the resistivity decreased, whereas carrier concentration and mobility showed improvement. These changes in electrical properties of the deposited films with annealing and doping concentration are attributed to a reduction in the lattice defect sites in CdS upon annealing. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of a modified version of Seto’s model for polycrystalline materials.     

Preparation and characterization of pulsed laser deposited CdS/CdSe bi-layer films for CdTe solar cell application

CdS/CdSe bi-layer film was prepared by pulsed laser deposition with different substrate temperatures as an improved window layer for CdTe solar cells. The total thickness of each CdS/CdSe bi-layer film was about 70 nm, which could contribute to comparatively high transmittance of photons and, therefore, improving the photocurrent. Substrate temperature influenced the properties of the CdS/CdSe bi-layer films and the study showed that the bi-layer film prepared at 400 °C achieved the best optical transmittance and crystallinity. The crystal structure and optical transmittance of CdS/CdSe/CdTe stack before and after CdCl₂ annealing treatment were investigated by utilizing X-ray diffraction and UV/Vis spectrophotometer, respectively. It showed that further CdCl₂ annealing treatment improved the inter-diffusion of Se into CdTe, facilitating the formation of a CdTe_1−xSe_x alloy in the absorber layer. Comparing with CdTe, the alloy actually showed a smaller band gap which produced an obvious red shift of the absorption edge in long wavelength region. CdSe window layer was consumed by the inter-diffusion, while enhanced the short wavelength response in the range of 300–500 nm. The device based on CdS/CdSe window layer realized a J_SC enhancement due to the improved collection within both short and long wavelength regions accompany with a V_OC enhancement when compared to CdS/CdTe solar cell. The CdTe cell with CdS/CdSe bi-layer window deposited at 200 °C showed an efficiency of 13.47% with V_OC of 791 mV and J_SC of 27.40 mA/cm².     

ZnSe/ITO thin films:candidate for CdTe solar cell window layer

The crystal structure, electrical and optical properties of ZnSe thin films deposited on an In₂O₃:Sn (ITO) substrate are evaluated for their suitability as the window layer of CdTe thin film solar cells. ZnSe thin films of 80, 90, and 100 nm thickness were deposited by a physical vapor deposition method on Indium tin oxide coated glass substrates. The lattice parameters are increased to 5.834 Å when the film thickness was 100 nm, which is close to that of CdS. The crystallite size is decreased with the increase of film thickness. The optical transmission analysis shows that the energy gap for the sample with the highest thickness has also increased and is very close to 2.7 eV. The photo decay is also studied as a function of ZnSe film thickness.