Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2xdlg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-22T23:47:33.606Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Substrate geometry CdTe solar cells with catalytically-grown nano-rough surfaces

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 February 2016

G. Papageorgiou ,
J.D. Major  and
K. Durose
G. Papageorgiou*
Affiliation:
Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy / Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Chadwick Building, Peach St, Liverpool, L69 7ZF, United Kingdom
J.D. Major
Affiliation:
Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy / Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Chadwick Building, Peach St, Liverpool, L69 7ZF, United Kingdom
K. Durose
Affiliation:
Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy / Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Chadwick Building, Peach St, Liverpool, L69 7ZF, United Kingdom
*
*(Email: g.papageorgiou@liv.ac.uk)
Get access

Abstract

Substrate geometry CdTe solar cells have been modified with the addition of metal-catalysed nano-structures in order to influence their efficiency. Conditions for the growth of Au- and Bi-catalysed nanostructures were explored. The substrate devices themselves comprised indium tin oxide/CdS/CdTe/Mo foil and were developed using the MgCl2 alternative to the usual CdCl2 processing – this yielded open circuit voltages of up to 740 mV. It was demonstrated that the addition of Au-catalysed nanowires to 200 nm thick CdTe films on glass substrates decreased their optical transmission by 10%, this being significantly higher than for thick films. However, reproducibility issues with forming Bi nanostructures limited the device modification tests to the use of Au-catalysed wires, and these always acted to depress photovoltaic performance.

Keywords

nanostructurephotovoltaicII-VI
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Advances , Volume 1 , Issue 14: Energy and Sustainability , 2016 , pp. 985 - 990
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

First Solar Achieves 21.5% Efficiency, Durability Milestones, 2015. Available at: http://investor.firstsolar.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=895118 (accessed 19 November 2015).Google Scholar
Major, J.D., Treharne, R.E., Phillips, L.J., and Durose, K., Nature 511, 334 (2014).Google Scholar
Kranz, L., Gretener, C., Perrenoud, J., Schmitt, R., Pianezzi, F., La Mattina, F., Blösch, P., Cheah, E., Chirilă, A., Fella, C.M., Hagendorfer, H., Jäger, T., Nishiwaki, S., Uhl, A.R., Buecheler, S., and Tiwari, A.N., Nat. Commun. 4, 2306 (2013).Google Scholar
Kapadia, R., Fan, Z., and Javey, A., Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 103116 (2010).Google Scholar
Aberg, I., Vescovi, G., Asoli, D., Naseem, U., Gilboy, J.P., Sundvall, C., Dahlgren, A., Svensson, K.E., Anttu, N., Bjork, M.T., and Samuelson, L., IEEE J. Photovoltaics PP, 1 (2015).Google Scholar
Williams, B.L., Taylor, A.A., Mendis, B.G., Phillips, L., Bowen, L., Major, J.D., and Durose, K., Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 053907 (2014).Google Scholar
Neretina, S., Hughes, R.A., Britten, J.F., Sochinskii, N.V., Preston, J.S., and Mascher, P., Nanotechnology 18, 275301 (2007).Google Scholar
Williams, B.L., Mendis, B., Bowen, L., Halliday, D.P., and Durose, K., in MRS Proc. 1350, (2011).Google Scholar
Williams, B.L., Major, J.D., Bowen, L., Phillips, L., Zoppi, G., Forbes, I., and Durose, K., Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 124, 31 (2014).Google Scholar
Major, J.D., Proskuryakov, Y.Y., and Durose, K., Prog. Photovoltaics Res. Appl. 21, 436 (2011).Google Scholar
Dubrovskii, V.G., Bolshakov, A.D., Williams, B.L., and Durose, K., Nanotechnology 23, 485607 (2012).Google Scholar