CdTe solar cells with open-circuit voltage breaking the 1 V barrier

J. M. Burst, J. N. Duenow, D. S. Albin, E. Colegrove, M. O. Reese, J. A. Aguiar, C.-S. Jiang, M. K. Patel, M. M. Al-Jassim, D. Kuciauskas, S. Swain, T. Ablekim, K. G. Lynn and W. K. Metzger ()
Additional contact information
J. M. Burst: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
J. N. Duenow: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
D. S. Albin: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
E. Colegrove: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
M. O. Reese: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
J. A. Aguiar: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
C.-S. Jiang: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
M. K. Patel: Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee
M. M. Al-Jassim: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
D. Kuciauskas: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
S. Swain: Center for Materials Research, Washington State University
T. Ablekim: Center for Materials Research, Washington State University
K. G. Lynn: Center for Materials Research, Washington State University
W. K. Metzger: National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Nature Energy, 2016, vol. 1, issue 3, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract CdTe solar cells have the potential to undercut the costs of electricity generated by other technologies, if the open-circuit voltage can be increased beyond 1 V without significant decreases in current. However, in the past decades, the open-circuit voltage has stagnated at around 800–900 mV. This is lower than in GaAs solar cells, even though GaAs has a smaller bandgap; this is because it is more difficult to achieve simultaneously high hole density and lifetime in II–VI materials than in III–V materials. Here, by doping the CdTe with a Group V element, we report lifetimes in single-crystal CdTe that are nearly radiatively limited and comparable to those in GaAs over a hole density range relevant for solar applications. Furthermore, the deposition on CdTe of nanocrystalline CdS layers that form non-ideal heterointerfaces with 10% lattice mismatch impart no damage to the CdTe surface and show excellent junction transport properties. These results enable the fabrication of CdTe solar cells with open-circuit voltage greater than 1 V.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2016.15

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