Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T15:45:39.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Electron Reflector Strategy for Thin CdTe Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Kuo-Jui Hsiao  and
James R. Sites
Kuo-Jui Hsiao
Affiliation:
[email protected], Colorado State University, Physics, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
James R. Sites
Affiliation:
[email protected], Colorado State University, Physics, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
Get access

Abstract

Incorporation of an electron reflector is a proposed strategy to improve the open-circuit voltage of CdTe thin-film solar cells. An electron reflector is basically a conduction-band barrier at the back surface, which can reduce the recombination resulting from the electron flow to the back surface. It should be particularly beneficial for cells with thicknesses below two microns when the CdTe absorber layer is fully depleted at its typical carrier density, because back-surface recombination is a primary limitation to the performance of fully depleted cells. Cells with thickness below two microns can also benefit from optical reflection at the back interface. One-dimension numerical simulation is used to investigate the electron reflector strategy and optical back reflection for thin CdTe cells. Theoretically, about a 200-mV increase in voltage and 3% in efficiency are achievable for a thin CdTe solar cell with 2×1014-cm-3 hole density, 1-ns lifetime, and a 0.2-eV electron reflector barrier. Furthermore, with the electron reflector, good CdTe cell performance at thicknesses as thin as 0.4 μm should be possible.

Keywords

photovoltaicthin filmsimulation
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1210: Symposium Q – Photovoltaic Materials and Manufacturing Issues II , 2009 , 1210-Q03-01
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Barth, K.L., “Abound Solar's CdTe module manufacturing and product introduction”, Proc. of the 34th IEEE PVSC, June 2009.Google Scholar
2 Rose, D., Powell, R., Jayamaha, U., and Maltby, M., Proc. of the 29th IEEE PVSC, 2002, p. 555.Google Scholar
3 Plotnikov, V. V., Kwon, DoHyoung, Wieland, K.A., and Compaan, A.D., “10% efficiency solar cells with 0.5 um of CdTe”, Proc. of the 34th IEEE PVSC, June 2009.Google Scholar
4 Stangl, R., Kriegel, M. and Schmidt, M., “AFORS–HET, version 2.2, ersion a numerical computer program for simulation of heterojunction solar cells and measurements,” Proc. IEEE WCPEC-44, 1350–1353, Hawaii, USA, May 2006.Google Scholar
5 Gloeckler, M., Fahrenbruch, A.L., and Sites, J.R., “Numeri modeling of CIGS solar cells: setting the baseline,” Proc. IEEE WWCPEC-3, 491–494 (Osaka, Japan, May 2003).Google Scholar
6 Hsiao, Kuo-Jui and Sites, James R., “electron reflector strategy for CdTe solar cells,” Proc. Of the 34th IEEE PVSC, June 2009.Google Scholar
7 Wu, X., Keane, J.C., Dhere, R.G., et al, “16.5%-Efficient CdS/CdTe Polycrystalline Thin-Film Solar Cell”, 17th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Munich, Germany, 22-26 October 2001, p. 995.Google Scholar