Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T05:18:00.676Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Interface Engineering of Chalcogenide Semiconductors in Thin Film Solar Cells: CdTe as an Example

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

J. Fritsche ,
D. Kraft ,
A. Thissen ,
Th. Mayer ,
A. Klein  and
W. Jaegermann
J. Fritsche
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science, Darmstadt University of Technology, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
D. Kraft
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science, Darmstadt University of Technology, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
A. Thissen
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science, Darmstadt University of Technology, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Th. Mayer
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science, Darmstadt University of Technology, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
A. Klein
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science, Darmstadt University of Technology, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
W. Jaegermann
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science, Darmstadt University of Technology, Petersenstr. 23, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
Get access

Abstract

In this paper the electronic properties of the different interfaces of CdTe thin film solar cells will be analysed by using a surface science approach. Experimental basis for the experiments is an integrated UHV systems which allows to prepare and analyse real solar cells as well as appropriate model interfaces. Recently obtained data on the ITO surface, the ITO/SnO2/CdS front contact, the CdS/CdTe heterojunction and the CdTe/Te back contact will be presented. In addition, bulk properties as doping and lateral inhomogeneities will be addressed. For all these interfaces experimentally determined band energy diagrams will be given and discussed in relation to solar cell performance. Finally, the sum of the results will be used to propose a modified band energy diagram of the complete CdTe thin film solar cell and its implication for further cell improvement will be presented.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 668: Symposium H – II-IV Compound Semiconductor Photovoltaic Materials , 2001 , H6.6
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

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

REFERENCES

1. Contreras, M. A., Egaas, B., Ramanathan, K., Hiltner, J., Swartzlander, A., Hasoon, F. A., and Noufi, R., Progr. Photovolt. Res. Appl. 7, 311 (1999).Google Scholar
2. Britt, J. and Ferekides, C., Appl. Phys. Lett. 62, 2851 (1993).Google Scholar
3. Bube, R. H., Photovoltaic Materials, Vol. 1 (Imperial College Press, London, 1998).Google Scholar
4. Bonnet, D. and Karr, M., in Proc. of the 2nd World Conference on Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conversion, (Vienna, 1998), p. 397.Google Scholar
5. Mönch, W., Semiconductor surfaces and interfaces (Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, 1993).Google Scholar
6. Brillson, L. J., in Handbook on Semiconductors, Vol 1, edited by Landsberg, P. T. (North Holland, Amsterdam, 1992).Google Scholar
7. Franciosi, A. and Walle, C. G. Van de, Surf. Sci. Rep. 25, 1–140 (1996).Google Scholar
8. Rhoderick, E. H. and Williams, R. H., Metal-Semiconductor Contacts, Vol. 19, 2nd Edition (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1988).Google Scholar
9. Heterojunction Band Discontinuities; Vol., edited by Capasso, F. and Margaritondo, G. (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1987).Google Scholar
10. Yu, E. T., McCaldin, J. O., and McGill, T. C., in Solid State Physics Vol. 46, ed. by Ehrenreich, H. and Turnbull, D. (Academic Press, Boston, 1992).Google Scholar
11. Tonner, B.P., Dunham, D., Droubay, T., Kikuma, J., Denlinger, J., Rotenberg, E., Warwick, A. J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom. 75 (1995) 309 Google Scholar
12. Sommerhalter, Ch., Matthes, Th.W., Boneberg, J., Leiderer, P., Lux-Steiner, M.Ch., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B15 (1997) 1876 Google Scholar
13. Nonnenmacher, M., O'Boyle, M.P., Wickramasinghe, H.K., Appl. Phys. Lett. 58 (1991) 2921 Google Scholar
14. Hartnagel, H. L., Dawar, A. L., Jain, A. K., and Jagadish, C., Semiconducting Transparent Thin Films (Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol, 1995).Google Scholar
15. Klein, A., Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 2009–2011 (2000).Google Scholar
16. Lang, O., Pettenkofer, C., Sanchez-Royo, J. F., Segura, A., Klein, A., and Jaegermann, W., J. Appl. Phys. 86, 5687 (1999).Google Scholar
17. Klein, A., Henrion, O., Pettenkofer, C., Jaegermann, W., Ashkenasy, N., Mishori, B., and Shapira, Y., Proc. 14th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, (H.S. Stephens & Associates, Bedford, 1997), p. 1705.Google Scholar
18. Lammer, M., Meier, U., Pettenkofer, C., Klein, A., and Jaegermann, W. (unpublished results).Google Scholar
19. Fritsche, J., Gunst, S., Thißen, A., Gegenwart, R., Klein, A., and Jaegermann, W., Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. (submitted).Google Scholar
20. Niles, D. W., Rioux, D., and Höchst, H., J. Appl. Phys. 73, 4586 (1993).Google Scholar
21. Anderson, R. L., Solid-St. Electron. 5, 341 (1962).Google Scholar
22. Tersoff, J., Phys. Rev. Lett. 52, 465–468 (1984); Phys. Rev. B 30, 4874-4877 (1984).Google Scholar
23. Löher, T., Klein, A., Tomm, Y., Pettenkofer, C., and Jaegermann, W., Semicond. Sci. Technol. 15, 1–9 (2000).Google Scholar
24. Löher, T., Jaegermann, W., and Pettenkofer, C., J. Appl. Phys. 77, 731–738 (1995).Google Scholar
25. Bauknecht, A., Blieske, U., Kampschulte, T., Albert, J., Sehnert, H., Lux-Steiner, M. C., Klein, A., and Jaegermann, W., Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 1099–1101 (1999).Google Scholar
26. Klein, A., Löher, T., Pettenkofer, C., and Jaegermann, W., Appl. Phys. Lett. 70, 1299–1301 (1997).Google Scholar
27. Scheer, R., Proc. of 12th International Conference on Ternary and Multinary Compounds (Hshinshu, Taiwan, 2000).Google Scholar
28. , Landolt-Börnstein, New Series III Vol 23a (Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, 1989).Google Scholar
29. Niles, D. W. and Höchst, H., Phys. Rev. B 41, 12710 (1990).Google Scholar
30. Engelhardt, M. A., Niles, D. W., and Höchst, H., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 8, 1922 (1990).Google Scholar
31. Wei, Su-Huai, Zhang, S. B., and Zunger, Alex, J. Appl. Phys. 87, 3, (2000)Google Scholar
32. Fritsche, J., Thißen, A., Klein, A., and Jaegermann, W., Thin Solid Films 387, 158 (2001).Google Scholar
33. Friedman, D. J., Lindau, I., and Spicer, W. E., Phys. Rev. B 37, 731 (1988).Google Scholar
34. Werthen, J. G., Häring, J. P., Fahrenbruch, A. L., and Bube, R. H., J. Phys. D 16, 2391 (1983).Google Scholar
35. Sarlund, J., Ritala, M., Leskelä, M., Siponmaa, E., and Zilliacus, R., Sol. Energy Mat. Sol. Cells 44, 177–190 (1996).Google Scholar
36. Kraft, D., Campo, M., Beerbom, M., Mayer, T., Thißen, A., Klein, A., and Jaegermann, W., Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. (submitted).Google Scholar
37. Niles, D. W., Li, X., Sheldon, P., and Höchst, H., J. Appl. Phys. 77, 4489 (1995).Google Scholar
38. Fritsche, J., Gunst, S., Golusda, E., Lejard, M. C., Thißen, A., Mayer, T., Klein, A., Wendt, R., Gegenwart, R., Bonnet, D., and Jaegermann, W., Thin Solid Films, 387, 161 (2001).Google Scholar
39. Stollwerck, G. and Sites, J. R., Proc. of the 13th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (H.S. Stephens & Associates, Bedford, 1995), p.2020.Google Scholar
40. McMahon, T. J. and Fahrenbruch, A. L., Proc. of the 28th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (Anchorage, 2000).Google Scholar