Development of high-efficiency, thin-film CdTe solar cells. Final subcontract report, 1 February 1992--30 November 1995

This report describes work performed by the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) to bring the polycrystalline CdTe cell efficiency a step closer to the practically achievable efficiency of 18% through fundamental understanding of detects and loss mechanisms, the role of chemical and heat treatments, and investigation of now process techniques. The objective was addressed by a combination of in-depth characterization, modeling, materials growth, device fabrication, and `transport analyses of Au/Cu/CdTe/CdS/SnO {sub 2} glass front-wall heterojunction solar cells. GiT attempted to understand the loss mechanism(s) in each layer and interface by a step-by-step investigation of this multilayer cell structure. The first step was to understand, quantify, and reduce the reflectance and photocurrent loss in polycrystalline CdTe solar calls. The second step involved the investigation of detects and loss mechanisms associated with the CdTe layer and the CdTe/CdS interface. The third stop was to investigate the effect of chemical and heat treatments on CdTe films and cells. The fourth step was to achieve a better and reliable contact to CdTe solar cells by improving the fundamental understanding. Of the effects of Cu on cell efficiency. Finally, the research involved the investigation of the effect of crystallinity and grain boundaries on Cu incorporation in the CdTe films, including the fabrication of CdTe solar calls with larger CdTe grain size