Article contents
Open-Circuit Voltage Decay in CdTe/CdS Solar Cells
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Abstract
Open-Circuit Voltage Decay (OCVD) is a common technique used to characterize numerous semiconductor devices. However, to the knowledge of the authors, the technique has not previously been applied to CdTe-based solar cells. We use a simple setup consisting of a function generator, rectifying diode, and digital oscilloscope to measure the dark open circuit voltage decay as a function of time across a CdTe solar cell. We find the decay to be described by the equation v(t) = v0 + A1exp (–t/τ1) + A2exp (–t/τ2) where v is the voltage, t is time, τ1 and τ2 are characteristic decay times, and A1, A2 and v0 are constants. The two characteristic decay times are on the order of 10 μs and 500 μs. The relative contribution of the two decay times depends on the magnitude of the initial applied voltage pulse. We will describe preliminary results on the correlation between the OCVD and solar cell performance, including the effects of light-soaking on OCVD behavior.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Copyright
- Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005
References
- 1
- Cited by