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SnO2-Catalyzed Oxidation in High-Efficiency CdTe Solar Cells.

Craig L Perkins1, Deborah L McGott1, Matthew O Reese1

  • 1National Renewable Energy Laboratory , 15013 Denver West Parkway , Golden , Colorado 80401 , United States.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|March 9, 2019
PubMed
Summary

We investigated the chemical structure of front interfaces in cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells using advanced X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Our findings reveal how processing affects oxidation states, impacting device performance.

Keywords:
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopycadmium tellurideinterfacespassivationphotovoltaicssolar cellstin oxide

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Photovoltaics
  • Surface Chemistry

Background:

  • Front interfaces in CdTe solar cells are crucial for device performance but challenging to analyze.
  • Nanoscale chemical structure determination at these buried interfaces is often hindered by processing-induced changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To probe the oxidation states at the tin oxide (SnO2) interface of CdTe solar cells.
  • To understand how processing steps influence the chemical structure of front interfaces.
  • To correlate interface chemistry with device performance.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a thermomechanical cleaving technique for sample preparation.
  • Employed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to analyze oxidation states.
  • Investigated CdTe solar cells with SnO2 front electrodes.

Main Results:

  • The SnO2 front electrode promotes the formation of nanoscale tellurium and sulfur oxides.
  • Oxidation is significant during CdCl2/O2 activation and low-temperature back contact processing (180-260 °C).
  • Device performance correlates with the extent of tellurium and sulfur oxidation at the front interface.

Conclusions:

  • Front interface oxidation, particularly of tellurium and sulfur, significantly impacts CdTe solar cell performance.
  • Back contact processing steps can beneficially alter front interface chemistry.
  • Proposed mechanisms explain how interface oxidation influences carrier transport and recombination.