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Transmission Electron Microscopy Study of the Microstructure of Np- Etched CdTe Thin Films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

K.M. Jones ,
Y. Yan ,
F.S. Hasoon  and
M.M. Al-Jassim
K.M. Jones
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado80401.
Y. Yan
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado80401.
F.S. Hasoon
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado80401.
M.M. Al-Jassim
Affiliation:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado80401.
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Abstract

Polycrystalline CdTe is a promising candidate for solar cells due to its nearly ideal band-gap, high absorption coefficient, and ease of film fabrication. Small-area CdTe/CdS cells with efficiencies of 16.0% have been demonstrated. The structure of a typical CdTe/CdS solar cell (Figure 1) consists of a glass superstrate, on which a thin layer of SnO2 is deposited (front contact), n-type CdS, p-type CdTe, and a back contact. Prior to applying the back contact to the CdTe, etching of the CdTe surface using a mixture of nitric and phosphoric (NP) acids is normally needed. It is known that the etching depletes a crystalline CdTe surface of Cd and creates a Te-rich layer. Two effects of the Te-rich layer has been proposed, namely, forming a Te-CdTe low-series-resistance contact and improving CdTe device stability by the gettering of Cu. Thus, the NP etching is an important process in the CdTe device fabrication. in this paper, we report on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of the microstructure of the surface of NP etched CdTe thin films.

Type
Semiconductors
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 7 , Issue S2: Proceedings: Microscopy & Microanalysis 2001, Microscopy Society of America 59th Annual Meeting, Microbeam Analysis Society 35th Annual Meeting, Long Beach, California August 5-9, 2001 , August 2001 , pp. 558 - 559
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2001

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