Development of High Efficiency Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride/Cadmium Sulfide Solar Cells Using Electrodeposition

Development of High Efficiency Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride/Cadmium Sulfide Solar Cells Using Electrodeposition PDF Author: Wenjie Song
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Thin films
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Development of High Efficiency Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride/Cadmium Sulfide Solar Cells Using Electrodeposition

Development of High Efficiency Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride/Cadmium Sulfide Solar Cells Using Electrodeposition PDF Author: Wenjie Song
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Thin films
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Polycrystalline Thin Film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition. Annual Technical Report, 20 March 1995--19 March 1996

Polycrystalline Thin Film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition. Annual Technical Report, 20 March 1995--19 March 1996 PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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The objective of this project is to develop improved processes for fabricating CdTe/CdS polycrystalline thin-film solar cells. Researchers used electrodeposition to form CdTe; electrodeposition is a non-vacuum, low-cost technique that is attractive for economic, large-scale production. During the past year, research and development efforts focused on several steps that are most critical to the fabricating high-efficiency CdTe solar cells. These include the optimization of the CdTe electrodeposition process, the effect of pretreatment of CdS substrates, the post-deposition annealing of CdTe, and back-contact formation using Cu-doped ZnTe. Systematic investigations of these processing steps have led to a better understanding and improved performance of the CdTe-based cells. Researchers studied the structural properties of chemical-bath-deposited CdS thin films and their growth mechanisms by investigating CdS samples prepared at different deposition times; investigated the effect of CdCl2 treatment of CdS films on the photovoltaic performance of CdTe solar cells; studied Cu-doped ZnTe as a promising material for forming stable, low-resistance contacts to the p-type CdTe; and investigated the effect of CdTe and CdS thickness on the photovoltaic performance of the resulting cells. As a result of their systematic investigation and optimization of the processing conditions, researchers improved the efficiency of CdTe/CdS cells using ZnTe back-contact and electrodeposited CdTe. The best CdTe/CdS cell exhibited a V{sub oc} of 0.778 V, a J{sub sc} of 22.4 mA/cm2, a FF of 74%, and an efficiency of 12.9% (verified at NREL). In terms of individual parameters, researchers obtained a V{sub oc} over 0.8 V and a FF of 76% on other cells.

Polycrystalline Thin Film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition

Polycrystalline Thin Film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition PDF Author: J. U. Trefny
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cadmium telluride
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The objective of this project is to develop improved processes for fabricating CdTe/CdS polycrystalline thin-film solar cells. Researchers used electrodeposition to form CdTe; electrodeposition is a non-vacuum, low-cost technique that is attractive for economic, large-scale production. During the past year, research and development efforts focused on several steps that are most critical to the fabricating high-efficiency CdTe solar cells. These include the optimization of the CdTe electrodeposition process, the effect of pretreatment of CdS substrates, the post-deposition annealing of CdTe, and back-contact formation using Cu-doped ZnTe. Systematic investigations of these processing steps have led to a better understanding and improved performances of the CdTe-based cells.

Polycrystalline Thin Film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition. Annual Subcontract Report, 20 March 1993--19 March 1994

Polycrystalline Thin Film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition. Annual Subcontract Report, 20 March 1993--19 March 1994 PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 57

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This report describes the principal results of work performed during the second year of a 3-year program at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM). The work on transparent conducting oxides was carried out primarily by CSM students at NREL and is described in three publications listed in Appendix C. The high-quality ZnO produced from the work was incorporated into a copper indium diselenide cell that exhibited a world-record efficiency of 16.4%. Much of the time was devoted to the improvement of cadmium sulfide films deposited by chemical bath deposition methods and annealed with or without a cadmium chloride treatment. Progress was also made in the electrochemical deposition of cadmium telluride. High-quality films yielding CdS/CdTe/Au cells of greater than 10% efficiency are now being produced on a regular basis. We explored the use of zinc telluride back contacts to form an n-i-p cell structure as previously used by Ametek. We began small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) studies to characterize crystal structures, residual stresses, and microstructures of both CdTe and CdS. Large SAXS signals were observed in CdS, most likely because of scattering from gain boundaries. The signals observed to date from CdTe are much weaker, indicating a more homogeneous microstructure. We began to use the ADEPT modeling program, developed at Purdue University, to guide our understanding of the CdS/CdTe cell physics and the improvements that will most likely lead to significantly enhanced efficiencies.

Polycrystalline Thin-film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition. Annual Technical Report

Polycrystalline Thin-film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition. Annual Technical Report PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 35

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Book Description
During the past year, Colorado School of Mines (CSM) researchers performed systematic studies of the growth and properties of electrodeposition CdS and back-contact formation using Cu-doped ZnTe, with an emphasis on low Cu concentrations. CSM also started to explore the stability of its ZnTe-Cu contacted CdTe solar cells. Researchers investigated the electrodeposition of CdS and its application in fabricating CdTe/CdS solar cells. The experimental conditions they explored in this study were pH from 2.0 to 3.0; temperatures of 80 and 90 C; CdCl2 concentration of 0.2 M; deposition potential from -550 to -600 mV vs. Ag/AgCl electrode; [Na2S2O4] concentration between 0.005 and 0.05 M. The deposition rate increases with increase of the thiosulfate concentration and decrease of solution pH. Researchers also extended their previous research of ZnTe:Cu films by investigating films doped with low Cu concentrations (

Polycrystalline Thin-Film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition: Final Technical Report, 20 March 1995-15 June 1998

Polycrystalline Thin-Film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition: Final Technical Report, 20 March 1995-15 June 1998 PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This report summarizes work performed by the Colorado School of Mines Department of Physics under this subcontract. Based on the studies conducted, researchers increased the efficiency of the cells with electrodeposited CdTe and CBD CdS by 3% on average. The improvement came from 1) optimization of CdS initial thickness taking into account CdS consumption of CdTe during the CdTe/CdSpost-deposition treatment; optimization of CdS post-deposition treatment with CdCl2 aimed at prevention of Te diffusion into CdS and improvement of the CdS film morphology and electronic properties. That led to a considerable increase in short circuit current, by 13% on average. 2) Optimization of CdTe thickness and post-deposition treatment which led to a significant increase in Voc, by approx.70 mV. The highest Voc obtained exceeded 800 mV. 3. Development of a ZnTe:Cu/Metal back contact processing procedure that included selection of optimal Cu content, deposition regime and post-deposition treatment conditions. The cell stability was measured on exposure to accelerated stress conditions. Preliminary studies of some new approaches to improvement of CdS/CdTe structure were conducted.

Polycrystalline Thin-film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition

Polycrystalline Thin-film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition PDF Author: John U. Trefny
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cadmium telluride
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
During the past year, Colorado School of Mines (CSM) researchers performed systematic studies of the growth and properties of electrodeposition CdS and back-contact formation using Cu-doped ZnTe, with an emphasis on low Cu concentrations. CSM also started to explore the stability of its ZnTe-Cu contacted CdTe solar cells. Researchers investigated the electrodeposition of CdS and its application in fabricating CdTe/CdS solar cells. The experimental conditions they explored in this study were pH from 2.0 to 3.0; temperatures of 80 and 90 deg. C; CdCl2 concentration of 0.2 M; deposition potential from -550 to -600 mV vs. Ag/AgCl electrode; [Na2S2O4] concentration between 0.005 and 0.05 M. The deposition rate increases with increase of the thiosulfate concentration and decrease of solution pH. Researchers also extended their previous research of ZnTe:Cu films by investigating films doped with low Cu concentrations (

Polycrystalline Thin-film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition. Annual Subcontract Report, 20 March 1992--19 March 1993

Polycrystalline Thin-film Cadmium Telluride Solar Cells Fabricated by Electrodeposition. Annual Subcontract Report, 20 March 1992--19 March 1993 PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Book Description
This report describes progress during the first year of a 3-year program at Colorado School of Mines, based upon earlier studies performed by Ametek Corporation, to develop specific layers of the Ametek n-i-p structure as well as additional studies of several transparent conducting oxides. Thin films of ZnO and ZnO:Al were deposited under various conditions. For the n-layer of the Ametek structure, a dip-coating method was developed for the deposition of CdS films. The authors also present data on the characterization of these films by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and other techniques. They made progress in the electrodeposition of the CdTe i-layer of the Ametek structure. They developed appropriate electrochemical baths and are beginning to understand the role of the many experimental parameters that must be controlled to obtain high-quality films of this material. They explored the possibility of using an electrochemical process for fabricating the ZnTe p-layer. Some preliminary success was achieved, and this step will be pursued in the next phase. Finally, they fabricated a number of ''dot'' solar cells with the structure glass/SnO2/CdS/CdTe/Au. Several cells with efficiencies in the range of 5%-6% were obtained, and they are confident, given recent progress, that cells with efficiencies in excess of 10% will be achieved in the near future.

Advances in Thin-Film Solar Cells

Advances in Thin-Film Solar Cells PDF Author: I. M. Dharmadasa
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429668384
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
Solar energy conversion plays a very important role in the rapid introduction of renewable energy, which is essential to meet future energy demands without further polluting the environment, but current solar panels based on silicon are expensive due to the cost of raw materials and high energy consumption during production. The way forward is to move towards thin-film solar cells using alternative materials and low-cost manufacturing methods. The photovoltaic community is actively researching thin-film solar cells based on amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and dye-sensitised and organic materials. However, progress has been slow due to a lack of proper understanding of the physics behind these devices. This book concentrates on the latest developments and attempts to improve our understanding of solid-state device physics. The material presented is mainly experimental and based on CdTe thin-film solar cells. The author extends these new findings to CIGS thin-film solar cells and presents a new device design based on graded bandgap multi-layer solar cells. This design has been experimentally tested using the well-researched GaAs/AlGaAs system, and initial devices have shown impressive device parameters. These devices are capable of absorbing all radiation (UV, visible and infra-red) within the solar spectrum and combine "impact ionisation" and "impurity photovoltaic" effects. The improved device understanding presented in this book should impact and guide future photovoltaic device development and low-cost thin-film solar panel manufacture. This new edition features an additional chapter besides exercises and their solutions, which will be useful for academics teaching in this field.

Properties of Thin Film Cadmium Sulfide Used in Cadmium Telluride/cadmium Sulfide Solar Cell

Properties of Thin Film Cadmium Sulfide Used in Cadmium Telluride/cadmium Sulfide Solar Cell PDF Author: Xiawa Wu
Publisher: ProQuest
ISBN: 9780549924876
Category : Cadmium compounds
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
CdTe/CdS solar cell is one of the promising low cost high efficiency thin film solar cells. In this work, thin film CdS properties and the effect of CdS surface conditions on CdTe growth and performance of polycrystalline CdTe/CdS thin film solar cells are investigated. Thin film CdS optical, structural and chemical properties both as deposited and after CdCl 2 heat treatment are measured. CdS surface chemical state is studied by analyzing its surface chemistry after different surface treatments. Qualitative and quantitative measurements indicate sulfate and sulfite phases on thin film CdS surfaces as well as single crystal CdS, caused by oxidation in the air. The degree of CdS oxidation is highly dependent on thermal treatment ambient, temperature and time. Results indicate reduction in grain size and smoother morphology for CdTe deposited on heavily oxidized CdS compared to chemically reduced CdS surface. Solar cell open circuit voltage is much lower on cells with heavily oxidized CdS surface.