Exceeding 20% efficiency with in situ group V doping in polycrystalline CdTe solar cells

W. K. Metzger (), S. Grover, D. Lu, E. Colegrove, J. Moseley, C. L. Perkins, X. Li, R. Mallick, W. Zhang, R. Malik, J. Kephart, C.-S. Jiang, D. Kuciauskas, D. S. Albin, M. M. Al-Jassim, G. Xiong and M. Gloeckler
Additional contact information
W. K. Metzger: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
S. Grover: First Solar
D. Lu: First Solar
E. Colegrove: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
J. Moseley: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
C. L. Perkins: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
X. Li: First Solar
R. Mallick: First Solar
W. Zhang: First Solar
R. Malik: First Solar
J. Kephart: First Solar
C.-S. Jiang: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
D. Kuciauskas: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
D. S. Albin: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
M. M. Al-Jassim: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
G. Xiong: First Solar
M. Gloeckler: First Solar

Nature Energy, 2019, vol. 4, issue 10, 837-845

Abstract: Abstract CdTe-based solar technology has achieved one of the lowest levelized costs of electricity among all energy sources as well as state-of-the-art field stability. Yet, there is still ample headroom to improve. For decades, mainstream technology has combined fast CdTe deposition with a CdCl2 anneal and Cu doping. The resulting defect chemistry is strongly compensated and limits the useful hole density to ~1014 cm−3, creating a ceiling for fill factor, photovoltage and efficiency. In addition, Cu easily changes energy states and diffuses spatially, creating a risk of instabilities that must be managed with care. Here, we demonstrate a significant shift by doping polycrystalline CdSexTe1 − x and CdTe films with As while removing Cu entirely from the solar cell. The absorber majority-carrier density is increased by orders of magnitude to 1016–1017 cm−3 without compromising the lifetime, and is coupled with a high photocurrent greater than 30 mA cm−2. We demonstrate pathways for fast dopant incorporation in polycrystalline thin films, improved stability and 20.8% solar cell efficiency.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0446-7

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