TY - JOUR
T1 - Electro-optical characterization of arsenic-doped CdSeTe and CdTe solar cell absorbers doped in-situ during close space sublimation
AU - Danielson, Adam
AU - Reich, Carey
AU - Pandey, Ramesh
AU - Munshi, Amit
AU - Onno, Arthur
AU - Weigand, Will
AU - Kuciauskas, Darius
AU - Li, Siming
AU - Bothwell, Alexandra
AU - Guo, Jinglong
AU - Murugeson, Magesh
AU - McCloy, John S.
AU - Klie, Robert
AU - Holman, Zachary C.
AU - Sampath, Walajabad
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - Most contemporary device models predict that an acceptor concentration of at least 1016 cm−3 is required to reach an open circuit voltage of 1 V in polycrystalline CdTe-based solar cells. While copper has traditionally been used as the de facto p-type dopant in polycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium selenide telluride (CdSeTe), reaching high acceptor concentrations has proved to be challenging in such devices due to significant dopant compensation. The acceptor concentration in copper-doped CdTe and CdSeTe typically ranges from 1013 to 1015 cm−3 and routinely exhibit low external radiative efficiencies below 0.01%, limiting their implied voltage (i.e., quasi-Fermi level splitting) to approximately 900 mV. As an alternative to copper, this work explores the use of arsenic as a p-type dopant for CdTe and CdSeTe. Using a novel technique in which a thin layer of arsenic-containing material is deposited and used as a reservoir for arsenic to diffuse into a front layer of previously undoped material, this contribution demonstrates that high external radiative efficiencies are achievable, a direct result of combined high acceptor concentrations and long minority-carrier lifetimes in the absorber. This leads to improved implied voltages, and indicates that As-doping represents a promising pathway towards improving the external voltage of CdSeTe/CdTe solar cells.
AB - Most contemporary device models predict that an acceptor concentration of at least 1016 cm−3 is required to reach an open circuit voltage of 1 V in polycrystalline CdTe-based solar cells. While copper has traditionally been used as the de facto p-type dopant in polycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium selenide telluride (CdSeTe), reaching high acceptor concentrations has proved to be challenging in such devices due to significant dopant compensation. The acceptor concentration in copper-doped CdTe and CdSeTe typically ranges from 1013 to 1015 cm−3 and routinely exhibit low external radiative efficiencies below 0.01%, limiting their implied voltage (i.e., quasi-Fermi level splitting) to approximately 900 mV. As an alternative to copper, this work explores the use of arsenic as a p-type dopant for CdTe and CdSeTe. Using a novel technique in which a thin layer of arsenic-containing material is deposited and used as a reservoir for arsenic to diffuse into a front layer of previously undoped material, this contribution demonstrates that high external radiative efficiencies are achievable, a direct result of combined high acceptor concentrations and long minority-carrier lifetimes in the absorber. This leads to improved implied voltages, and indicates that As-doping represents a promising pathway towards improving the external voltage of CdSeTe/CdTe solar cells.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.solmat.2022.112110
DO - 10.1016/j.solmat.2022.112110
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85142694622
SN - 0927-0248
VL - 251
JO - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
JF - Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
M1 - 112110
ER -