Measurement of sulphur diffusion for different CdTe solar cells

Taylor, A.A. (Physics Department, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UKb / Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Laboratory for Mechanics and Nanostructures, Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland); X. Maeder (Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Laboratory for Mechanics and Nanostructures, Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland); Major, J.D. (Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy/Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 4ZF, UK); Durose, K. (Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy/Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 4ZF, UK); Irvine, S.J.C. (Centre for Solar Energy Research, OpTIC, St. Asaph LL17 0JD, UK); Mendis, Budhika (Physics Department, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK); Kartopu, G. (Centre for Solar Energy Research, OpTIC, St. Asaph LL17 0JD, UK); Lamb, D. (Centre for Solar Energy Research, OpTIC, St. Asaph LL17 0JD, UK); Dhere, R.G. (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA); Duenow, J. (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA)

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Measurement of sulphur diffusion for different CdTe solar cells Open Access

Abstract form article: The role of CdCl2 activation in the production of high quality CdTe-based photovoltaic devices remains a subject of much debate. In this study, CdTe-based cells produced in three independent laboratories using different device fabrication technologies are investigated before and after CdCl2 activation with regard to structural changes (recrystallisation and grain growth) and sulphur out-diffusion. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and x-ray diffraction it is demonstrated that CdCl2 activation of the investigated cells produces no statistical structural changes to the CdTe. Additionally, energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) performed in the STEM on the same samples illustrates that the change in sulphur diffusion following activation is more limited than expected from previous studies; no change is detectable when the thermal budget for CdTe deposition is significantly greater than that for activation. This suggests that the efficiency enhancement during CdCl2 treatment is not due to sulphur out-diffusion. Lastly, cathodoluminescence microscopy is used to demonstrate in two dimensions how sulphur diffuses into a model sample and the results are found to be consistent with STEM–EDS. Some spectroscopic evidence for enhanced sulphur diffusion along grain boundaries is also observed.

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Resource type: Dataset
Contributors: Creator: Mendis, Budhika ¹
Contact person: Mendis, Budhika ¹
Creator: Taylor, A.A. ²
Creator: Major, J.D. ³
Creator: Kartopu, G. ⁴
Creator: Lamb, D. ⁴
Creator: Duenow, J. ⁵
Creator: Dhere, R.G. ⁵
Creator: X. Maeder ⁶
Creator: Irvine, S.J.C. ⁴
Creator: Durose, K. ³

¹ Physics Department, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
² Physics Department, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UKb / Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Laboratory for Mechanics and Nanostructures, Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland
³ Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy/Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 4ZF, UK
⁴ Centre for Solar Energy Research, OpTIC, St. Asaph LL17 0JD, UK
⁵ National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO 80401, USA
⁶ Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Laboratory for Mechanics and Nanostructures, Feuerwerkerstrasse 39, CH-3602 Thun, Switzerland
Funder: EPSRC
Research methods
Other description: Measurement of sulphur diffusion for different CdTe solar cells.
Keyword: scanning transmission electron microscopy
sulphur diffusion
CdTe solar cells
Subject
Location
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Cited in: doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2015.06.010
Identifier: ark:/32150/br86b374n
doi:10.15128/br86b374n
Publisher: Durham University
Date Created: 2015-06-29T09:15:00.000+00:00

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