RF Sputtered Back Contacts for CdS/CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells

RF Sputtered Back Contacts for CdS/CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells PDF Author: Vijay Viswanathan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cadmium sulfide photoconductive cells
Languages : en
Pages : 134

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RF Sputtered Back Contacts for CdS/CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells

RF Sputtered Back Contacts for CdS/CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells PDF Author: Vijay Viswanathan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cadmium sulfide photoconductive cells
Languages : en
Pages : 134

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RF Magnetron Triode Sputtering of CdTe and ZnTe Films and Solar Cells

RF Magnetron Triode Sputtering of CdTe and ZnTe Films and Solar Cells PDF Author: Adam Lee Sanford
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description
The n-CdS/p-CdTe solar cell has been researched for many years now. Research groups use a variety of processes to fabricate thin-film CdS/CdTe cells, including physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and RIF diode sputtering. One of the central areas of investigation concerning CdS/CdTe cells is the problem of a Schottky barrier at the back contact. Even cells fabricated with ohmic back contacts degrade into Schottky barriers as the devices are used. This severely degrades power generation. One possible solution is to use p-ZnTe as an interlayer between CdTe and the back contact. ZnTe is easily doped with Cu to be p-type. However, even contacts with this ZnTe interlayer degrade over time, because Cu is highly mobile and diffuses away from the contact towards the CdS/CdTe junction. Another possibility is to dope ZnTe with N. It has been demonstrated using molecular beam epitaxy and RF diode sputtering. In this study, CdTe films are fabricated using a variation of RF diode sputtering called triode sputtering. This technique allows for control of ion bombardment to the substrate during deposition. Also, a higher plasma density near the target is achieved allowing depositions at lower pressures. These films are characterized structurally to show the effects of the various deposition parameters. N-doped ZnTe films are also fabricated using this technique. These films are characterized electrically to show the effects of the various deposition parameters. Also, the effects of post-deposition annealing are observed. It is found that annealing at the right temperature can increase the conductivity of the films by a factor of 3 or more. However, annealing at higher temperatures decreases the conductivity to as low as 12% of the initial conductivity. Finally, RF triode sputtered N-doped ZnTe films are used as an interlayer at the back contact of a CdS/CdTe solar cell. The effects of annealing the device before and after contact deposition are observed. Annealing before depositing contacts results in an increase in V[Subscript oc] of 20mV. Annealing after contact deposition results in a degradation of fill factor over time.

Chalcogenide Photovoltaics

Chalcogenide Photovoltaics PDF Author: Roland Scheer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 3527633723
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 398

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Book Description
This first comprehensive description of the most important material properties and device aspects closes the gap between general books on solar cells and journal articles on chalcogenide-based photovoltaics. Written by two very renowned authors with years of practical experience in the field, the book covers II-VI and I-III-VI2 materials as well as energy conversion at heterojunctions. It also discusses the latest semiconductor heterojunction models and presents modern analysis concepts. Thin film technology is explained with an emphasis on current and future techniques for mass production, and the book closes with a compendium of failure analysis in photovoltaic thin film modules. With its overview of the semiconductor physics and technology needed, this practical book is ideal for students, researchers, and manufacturers, as well as for the growing number of engineers and researchers working in companies and institutes on chalcogenide photovoltaics.

Recent Advances in Thin Film Photovoltaics

Recent Advances in Thin Film Photovoltaics PDF Author: Udai P. Singh
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811937249
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
This book provides recent development in thin-film solar cells (TFSC). TFSC have proven the promising approach for terrestrial and space photovoltaics. TFSC have the potential to change the device design and produce high efficiency devices on rigid/flexible substrates with significantly low manufacturing cost. TFSC have several advantages in manufacturing compared to traditional crystalline Si-solar cells like less requirement of materials, can be prepared with earth’s abundant materials, less processing steps, easy to dispose, etc. Several universities/research institutes/industry in India and abroad are involved in the research area of thin-film solar cells. The book helps the readers to find the details about different thin-film technologies and its advancement at one place. Each chapter covers properties of materials, its suitability for PV applications, simple manufacturing processes and recent and past literature survey. The issues related to the development of high efficiency TFSC devices over large area and its commercial and future prospects are discussed.

McEvoy's Handbook of Photovoltaics

McEvoy's Handbook of Photovoltaics PDF Author: Soteris Kalogirou
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128103973
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 1341

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Book Description
Practical Handbook of Photovoltaics, Third Edition, is a 'benchmark' publication for those involved in the design, manufacture and use of these devices. This fully revised handbook includes brand new sections on smart grids, net metering and the modeling of photovoltaic systems, as well as fully revised content on developments in photovoltaic applications, the economics of PV manufacturing and updated chapters on solar cell function, raw materials, photovoltaic standards, calibration and testing, all with new examples and case studies. The editor has assembled internationally-respected contributors from industry and academia around the world to make this a truly global reference. It is essential reading for electrical engineers, designers of systems, installers, architects, policymakers and physicists working with photovoltaics. - Presents a cast of international experts from industry and academia to ensure the highest quality information from multiple stakeholder perspectives - Covers all things photovoltaics, from the principles of solar cell function and their raw materials, to the installation and design of full photovoltaic systems - Includes case studies, practical examples, and reports on the latest advances and worldwide applications

Development of Back Contacts for CdTe Thin Films Solar Cells

Development of Back Contacts for CdTe Thin Films Solar Cells PDF Author: Fadhil Khalaf Dahash Alfadhili
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Photovoltaic cells
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Book Description
Thin film solar cells based on polycrystalline p-type cadmium telluride (CdTe) represent one of these the most promising photovoltaic (PV) device due to high efficiency and low-cost production. Currently, CdTe solar cells provide the lowest cost electricity generation in utility-scale applications, which is a cost-competitive with the traditional power source, fossil fuel. CdTe thin film PV has attained 22.1 % of power conversion efficiency for small area scale and 18.6 % for modules scale. However, the high efficiency of CdTe devices has been achieved by increasing the photo-generated current by changing the traditional window layer (CdS) of CdTe to a wider bandgap material with better band alignment. The open-circuit voltage (VOC) remains below the theoretical limit due to a barrier at the back of the device due to the deep valence band edge of CdTe (-5.9 eV). Voc can be increased by adding a buffer layer between CdTe and the back electrode to decrease band banding and reducing carrier recombination at the back interface. In this thesis, several materials were investigated as a back-buffer layer, such as single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT), zinc telluride (ZnTe), tellurium (Te), and cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) to minimize the bend bending at CdTe/back-buffer layer interface. An alternative method to reduce the carrier recombination at the rear surface, the use of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) layer as a passivation layer was also demonstrated. Finally, an effective method of CdCl2 treatment for CZT thin film was investigated. This method shows that zinc (Zn) can be maintained during the heat treatment.

Clean Electricity From Photovoltaics

Clean Electricity From Photovoltaics PDF Author: Mary D Archer
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 1783262052
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 870

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Book Description
Photovoltaic cells provide clean, reversible electrical power from the sun. Made from semiconductors, they are durable, silent in operation and free of polluting emissions. In this book, experts from all sectors of the PV community — materials scientists, physicists, production engineers, economists and environmentalists — give their critical appraisals of where the technology is now and what its prospects are./a

Solar Cells and Modules

Solar Cells and Modules PDF Author: Arvind Shah
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030464873
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 357

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Book Description
This book gives a comprehensive introduction to the field of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and modules. In thirteen chapters, it addresses a wide range of topics including the spectrum of light received by PV devices, the basic functioning of a solar cell, and the physical factors limiting the efficiency of solar cells. It places particular emphasis on crystalline silicon solar cells and modules, which constitute today more than 90 % of all modules sold worldwide. Describing in great detail both the manufacturing process and resulting module performance, the book also touches on the newest developments in this sector, such as Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCON) and heterojunction modules, while dedicating a major chapter to general questions of module design and fabrication. Overall, it presents the essential theoretical and practical concepts of PV solar cells and modules in an easy-to-understand manner and discusses current challenges facing the global research and development community.

CdTe and Related Compounds; Physics, Defects, Hetero- and Nano-structures, Crystal Growth, Surfaces and Applications

CdTe and Related Compounds; Physics, Defects, Hetero- and Nano-structures, Crystal Growth, Surfaces and Applications PDF Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080965148
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
Almost thirty years after the remarkable monograph of K. Zanio and the numerous conferences and articles dedicated since that time to CdTe and CdZnTe, after all the significant progresses in that field and the increasing interest in these materials for several extremely attractive industrial applications, such as nuclear detectors and solar cells, the edition of a new enriched and updated monograph dedicated to these two very topical II-VI semiconductor compounds, covering all their most prominent, modern and fundamental aspects, seemed very relevant and useful. - Detailed coverage of the main topics associated with the very topical II-VI semiconductor compound CdTe and its alloy CZT - Review of the CdTe recent developments - Fundamental background of many topics clearly introduced and exposed

Capacitance Characteristics of RF Sputtered CdS/CdTe Solar Cells

Capacitance Characteristics of RF Sputtered CdS/CdTe Solar Cells PDF Author: Faming Shen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Solar cells
Languages : en
Pages : 94

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