Mapping Current Collection in Cross Section: The case of Copper- doped CdTe Solar Cells

Niranjana Mohan Kumar, Abdul R. Shaik, Trumann Walker, Tara Nietzold, Barry Lai, Eric Colegrove, Michael Stuckelberger, Mariana Bertoni

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

For decades, copper has been used to improve the performance of cadmium telluride thin film solar cells. However, it has also been shown to be the main cause of metastability in CdTe. Recently a low activation energy has been reported for the thermal diffusion of Cu in CdTe explaining the ease of motion that it has under moderate temperatures. The community consensus is that copper segregates to the absorber grain boundaries, where it's either beneficial or detrimental to device performance depending on its concentration. Using nanoscale X-ray micrsocopy and a two-dimensional drift-diffusion model we present a preliminary correlation between local copper distribution and electrical performance of a single-junction CdTe/CdS solar cell.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2020 47th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2020
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages2178-2180
Number of pages3
ISBN (Electronic)9781728161150
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 14 2020
Event47th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2020 - Calgary, Canada
Duration: Jun 15 2020Aug 21 2020

Publication series

NameConference Record of the IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference
Volume2020-June
ISSN (Print)0160-8371

Conference

Conference47th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, PVSC 2020
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityCalgary
Period6/15/208/21/20

Keywords

  • CdTe
  • X-ray beam induced current
  • drift-diffusion modeling

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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