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The Effect of Annealing Treatments on Close Spaced Sublimated Cadmium Telluride Thin Film Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2013

J.M. Walls ,
A. Abbas ,
G. D. West ,
J.W. Bowers ,
P.J.M. Isherwood ,
P. M. Kaminski ,
B. Maniscalco ,
W.S. Sampath  and
K. L. Barth
J.M. Walls
Affiliation:
CREST (Centre for Renewable Energy Systems and Technology), Loughborough, UK
A. Abbas
Affiliation:
CREST (Centre for Renewable Energy Systems and Technology), Loughborough, UK Department of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
G. D. West
Affiliation:
Department of Materials, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
J.W. Bowers
Affiliation:
CREST (Centre for Renewable Energy Systems and Technology), Loughborough, UK
P.J.M. Isherwood
Affiliation:
CREST (Centre for Renewable Energy Systems and Technology), Loughborough, UK
P. M. Kaminski
Affiliation:
CREST (Centre for Renewable Energy Systems and Technology), Loughborough, UK
B. Maniscalco
Affiliation:
CREST (Centre for Renewable Energy Systems and Technology), Loughborough, UK
W.S. Sampath
Affiliation:
NSF I/UCRC for Next Generation Photovoltaics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
K. L. Barth
Affiliation:
NSF I/UCRC for Next Generation Photovoltaics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States
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Abstract

It is well known that the cadmium chloride annealing treatment is an essential step in the manufacture of efficient thin film cadmium telluride solar cells. It has been recognized that the combination of annealing at ∼4000C together with the addition of cadmium chloride at the surface induces re-crystallisation of the cadmium telluride layer and also affects the n-type cadmium sulfide. We have applied advanced micro-structural characterization techniques to distinguish the effect of the annealing and the cadmium chloride treatments on the properties of the cadmium telluride deposited via close space sublimation (CSS) and relate these observations to device performance. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has shown a variation in stacking fault density with annealing temperature and annealing time. Stacking faults observed within the cadmium telluride grains in TEM were partially removed post annealing; these findings show that temperature alone has a role in the reduction of stacking faults. However, since we have previously observed almost complete removal of stacking faults with annealing in combination with cadmium chloride, the cadmium chloride is essential to defect removal and high efficiency cells.

Keywords

photovoltaictransmission electron microscopy (TEM)thin film

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References

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