Insights into post-growth doping and proposals for CdTe:In photovoltaic devices

Luke Thomas; Theo D C Hobson; Laurie J Phillips; Kieran J Cheetham; Neil Tarbuck; Leanne A H Jones; Matt J Smiles; Chris H Don; Pardeep K Thakur; Mark Isaacs; Huw Shiel; Stephen Campbell; Vincent Barrioz; Vin Dhanak; Tim Veal; Jonathan D Major; Ken Durose

doi:10.1088/2515-7655/ac7ad5

Insights into post-growth doping and proposals for CdTe:In photovoltaic devices

Luke Thomas, Theo D C Hobson, Laurie J Phillips, Kieran J Cheetham, Neil Tarbuck, Leanne A H Jones, Matt J Smiles, Chris H Don, Pardeep K Thakur, Mark Isaacs, Huw Shiel, Stephen Campbell, Vincent Barrioz, Vin Dhanak, Tim Veal, Jonathan D Major, Ken Durose^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering

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Abstract

This paper is motivated by the potential advantages of higher doping and lower contact barriers in CdTe photovoltaic devices that may be realized by using n-type rather than the conventional p-type solar absorber layers. We present post-growth doping trials for indium in thin polycrystalline CdTe films using the diffusion of indium metal with indium chloride. Chemical concentrations of indium up to 1019 cm−3 were achieved and the films were verified as n-type by hard x-ray photoemission. Post-growth chlorine treatment (or InCl3) was found to compensate the n-doping. Trial structures comprising CdS/CdTe:In verified that the doped absorber structures performed as expected both before and after chloride treatment, but it is recognized that this is not an optimum combination. Hence, in order to identify how the advantages of n-type absorbers might be fully realized in future work, we also report simulations of a range of p–n junction combinations with n-CdTe, a number of which have the potential for high V oc.

Original language	English
Article number	045001
Number of pages	14
Journal	Journal of Physics: Energy
Volume	4
Issue number	4
Early online date	2 Aug 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7655/ac7ad5
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2022

Keywords

thin film solar cell
photovoltaics
cadmium telluride
n-type absorber
doping
indium

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Thomas, L., Hobson, T. D. C., Phillips, L. J., Cheetham, K. J., Tarbuck, N., Jones, L. A. H., Smiles, M. J., Don, C. H., Thakur, P. K., Isaacs, M., Shiel, H., Campbell, S., Barrioz, V., Dhanak, V., Veal, T., Major, J. D., & Durose, K. (2022). Insights into post-growth doping and proposals for CdTe:In photovoltaic devices. Journal of Physics: Energy, 4(4), Article 045001. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7655/ac7ad5

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title = "Insights into post-growth doping and proposals for CdTe:In photovoltaic devices",

abstract = "This paper is motivated by the potential advantages of higher doping and lower contact barriers in CdTe photovoltaic devices that may be realized by using n-type rather than the conventional p-type solar absorber layers. We present post-growth doping trials for indium in thin polycrystalline CdTe films using the diffusion of indium metal with indium chloride. Chemical concentrations of indium up to 1019 cm−3 were achieved and the films were verified as n-type by hard x-ray photoemission. Post-growth chlorine treatment (or InCl3) was found to compensate the n-doping. Trial structures comprising CdS/CdTe:In verified that the doped absorber structures performed as expected both before and after chloride treatment, but it is recognized that this is not an optimum combination. Hence, in order to identify how the advantages of n-type absorbers might be fully realized in future work, we also report simulations of a range of p–n junction combinations with n-CdTe, a number of which have the potential for high V oc.",

keywords = "thin film solar cell, photovoltaics, cadmium telluride, n-type absorber, doping, indium",

author = "Luke Thomas and Hobson, {Theo D C} and Phillips, {Laurie J} and Cheetham, {Kieran J} and Neil Tarbuck and Jones, {Leanne A H} and Smiles, {Matt J} and Don, {Chris H} and Thakur, {Pardeep K} and Mark Isaacs and Huw Shiel and Stephen Campbell and Vincent Barrioz and Vin Dhanak and Tim Veal and Major, {Jonathan D} and Ken Durose",

note = "Funding information: Research funded by EP (L01551X/1) | EPSRC (EP/T006188/1).",

year = "2022",

month = oct,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1088/2515-7655/ac7ad5",

language = "English",

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Thomas, L, Hobson, TDC, Phillips, LJ, Cheetham, KJ, Tarbuck, N, Jones, LAH, Smiles, MJ, Don, CH, Thakur, PK, Isaacs, M, Shiel, H, Campbell, S, Barrioz, V, Dhanak, V, Veal, T, Major, JD & Durose, K 2022, 'Insights into post-growth doping and proposals for CdTe:In photovoltaic devices', Journal of Physics: Energy, vol. 4, no. 4, 045001. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7655/ac7ad5

TY - JOUR

T1 - Insights into post-growth doping and proposals for CdTe:In photovoltaic devices

AU - Thomas, Luke

AU - Hobson, Theo D C

AU - Phillips, Laurie J

AU - Cheetham, Kieran J

AU - Tarbuck, Neil

AU - Jones, Leanne A H

AU - Smiles, Matt J

AU - Don, Chris H

AU - Thakur, Pardeep K

AU - Isaacs, Mark

AU - Shiel, Huw

AU - Campbell, Stephen

AU - Barrioz, Vincent

AU - Dhanak, Vin

AU - Veal, Tim

AU - Major, Jonathan D

AU - Durose, Ken

N1 - Funding information: Research funded by EP (L01551X/1) | EPSRC (EP/T006188/1).

PY - 2022/10/1

Y1 - 2022/10/1

N2 - This paper is motivated by the potential advantages of higher doping and lower contact barriers in CdTe photovoltaic devices that may be realized by using n-type rather than the conventional p-type solar absorber layers. We present post-growth doping trials for indium in thin polycrystalline CdTe films using the diffusion of indium metal with indium chloride. Chemical concentrations of indium up to 1019 cm−3 were achieved and the films were verified as n-type by hard x-ray photoemission. Post-growth chlorine treatment (or InCl3) was found to compensate the n-doping. Trial structures comprising CdS/CdTe:In verified that the doped absorber structures performed as expected both before and after chloride treatment, but it is recognized that this is not an optimum combination. Hence, in order to identify how the advantages of n-type absorbers might be fully realized in future work, we also report simulations of a range of p–n junction combinations with n-CdTe, a number of which have the potential for high V oc.

AB - This paper is motivated by the potential advantages of higher doping and lower contact barriers in CdTe photovoltaic devices that may be realized by using n-type rather than the conventional p-type solar absorber layers. We present post-growth doping trials for indium in thin polycrystalline CdTe films using the diffusion of indium metal with indium chloride. Chemical concentrations of indium up to 1019 cm−3 were achieved and the films were verified as n-type by hard x-ray photoemission. Post-growth chlorine treatment (or InCl3) was found to compensate the n-doping. Trial structures comprising CdS/CdTe:In verified that the doped absorber structures performed as expected both before and after chloride treatment, but it is recognized that this is not an optimum combination. Hence, in order to identify how the advantages of n-type absorbers might be fully realized in future work, we also report simulations of a range of p–n junction combinations with n-CdTe, a number of which have the potential for high V oc.

KW - thin film solar cell

KW - photovoltaics

KW - cadmium telluride

KW - n-type absorber

KW - doping

KW - indium

U2 - 10.1088/2515-7655/ac7ad5

DO - 10.1088/2515-7655/ac7ad5

M3 - Article

SN - 2515-7655

VL - 4

JO - Journal of Physics: Energy

JF - Journal of Physics: Energy

IS - 4

M1 - 045001

ER -

Insights into post-growth doping and proposals for CdTe:In photovoltaic devices

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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