Open AccessFlexible CdTe/CdS solar cells on thin glass substrates
Author(s) -
Won Oh Seo,
Dong Hwan Kim,
Ji Hyun Kim
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.23.00a316
Subject(s) - cadmium telluride photovoltaics , materials science , sublimation (psychology) , thin film , thin film solar cell , layer (electronics) , optoelectronics , substrate (aquarium) , chemical bath deposition , solar cell , optics , quantum dot solar cell , energy conversion efficiency , nanotechnology , polymer solar cell , psychology , oceanography , physics , geology , psychotherapist
We demonstrate flexible CdTe/CdS thin-film solar cells in a superstrate configuration with a cell conversion efficiency as high as 10.9%. We deposit a CdS window layer and a CdTe absorber layer on a flexible glass substrate using the chemical bath deposition method and close-spaced sublimation method, respectively. The thin and flexible glass substrates were able to tolerate a high growth temperature and post-growth processes. We repeatedly apply a strain of 0.15% to the fabricated CdTe/CdS solar cells, and this was shown to have a negligible effect on their performances. Our proposed thin films-on-compliant substrate structure, which was prepared by replacing a rigid glass with a bendable one, demonstrated flexible CdTe/CdS p-n junction thin-film solar cells without compromising the cell performance.