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Beam injection methods for characterizing thin‐film solar cells
Author(s) -
Romero Manuel J.,
AlJassim Mowafak M.,
Dhere Ramesh G.,
Hasoon Falah S.,
Contreras Miguel A.,
Gessert Timothy A.,
Moutinho Helio R.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.437
Subject(s) - copper indium gallium selenide solar cells , cadmium telluride photovoltaics , cathodoluminescence , electron beam induced current , photovoltaics , optoelectronics , materials science , thin film , grain boundary , thin film solar cell , quantum dot solar cell , layer (electronics) , solar cell , photovoltaic system , nanotechnology , polymer solar cell , composite material , microstructure , silicon , electrical engineering , luminescence , engineering
II–VI and I–III–VI solar cells are promising for future thin‐film photovoltaics. In this paper, the roles of electron‐beam‐induced current (EBIC) and cathodoluminescence in evaluating the influence of interfaces on those solar cells are reviewed. CdTe and Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) are the absorbers of the cells investigated. For CdTe/CdS solar cells, a detailed study has been conducted of the effects of grain boundaries and the Te/CdTe or ZnTe:Cu/CdTe interfaces for back‐contacting. For CIGS solar cells, we have investigated different buffer layer schemes, showing that these interfaces are critical in the definition of the mechanisms for carrier collection. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.