Applied Physics Letters · 2015 · 132 citations · 11 references
EngineeringMaterials EngineeringMaterials ScienceElectronic MaterialsSemiconductor DevicesSemiconductor MaterialsPhotovoltaic DevicesPhotovoltaic MaterialsSemiconductor Device MaterialsSemiconductor PhysicsSolar Cell MaterialsSolar CellsCapacitance-voltage MeasurementsCharge Carrier DensityCurrent DensityFill FactorFlexible Solar CellsOpen-circuit VoltageQuantum EfficiencyShort-circuit Current
Flexible, high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells can enable applications that take advantage of high specific power, flexible form factors, lower installation and transportation costs. Here, we report a certified record efficiency of 16.4% for a flexible CdTe solar cell that is a marked improvement over the previous standard (14.05%). The improvement was achieved by replacing chemical-bath-deposited CdS with sputtered CdS:O and also replacing the high-temperature sputtered ZnTe:Cu back contact layer with co-evaporated and rapidly annealed ZnTe:Cu. We use quantum efficiency and capacitance-voltage measurements combined with device simulations to identify the reasons for the increase in efficiency. Both device simulations and experimental results show that higher carrier density can quantitatively account for the increased open circuit voltage (VOC) and Fill Factor (FF), and likewise, the increase in short circuit current density (JSC) can be attributed to the more transparent CdS:O.
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Advanced electrical simulation of thin film solar cells
Marc Burgelman, Koen Decock, Samira Khelifi et al. · Thin Solid Films · 2012 · 681 citations · Full text
Strategies to increase CdTe solar-cell voltage
James R. Sites, Jun Pan · Thin Solid Films · 2006 · 243 citations