Thin‐film solar cells exceeding 22% solar cell efficiency: An overview on CdTe-, Cu(In,Ga)Se2-, and perovskite-based materials

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 041602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Powalla ◽  
Stefan Paetel ◽  
Erik Ahlswede ◽  
Roland Wuerz ◽  
Cordula D. Wessendorf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency

scholarly journals CdTe-Based Thin Film Solar Cells: Past, Present and Future

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1684
Author(s):  
Alessandro Romeo ◽  
Elisa Artegiani
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Short Circuit Current Density ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency

CdTe is a very robust and chemically stable material and for this reason its related solar cell thin film photovoltaic technology is now the only thin film technology in the first 10 top producers in the world. CdTe has an optimum band gap for the Schockley-Queisser limit and could deliver very high efficiencies as single junction device of more than 32%, with an open circuit voltage of 1 V and a short circuit current density exceeding 30 mA/cm2. CdTe solar cells were introduced at the beginning of the 70s and they have been studied and implemented particularly in the last 30 years. The strong improvement in efficiency in the last 5 years was obtained by a new redesign of the CdTe solar cell device reaching a single solar cell efficiency of 22.1% and a module efficiency of 19%. In this paper we describe the fabrication process following the history of the solar cell as it was developed in the early years up to the latest development and changes. Moreover the paper also presents future possible alternative absorbers and discusses the only apparently controversial environmental impacts of this fantastic technology.

scholarly journals The Effect of Different Surface Plasmon Polaritons Shapes on Thin Film Solar Cell Efficiency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalil ElKhamisy ◽  
Salah Elagooz ◽  
El-Sayed El-Rabaie ◽  
Hamdy Abdelhamid
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Surface Plasmon ◽  
Surface Plasmon Polaritons ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cell ◽  
Series Resistance ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency ◽  
Plasmon Polaritons

Abstract Thin film Si solar cell and surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) effects on solar cell efficiency, series resistance and shunt resistance are studied and analyzed in this work. The different surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) shapes and their effects on the optical, electrical properties and therefore on the efficiency of thin film solar cell are studied in this work. This study is introduced using 3D numerical simulation results. The semiconductor and electromagnetic models are incorporated for studying the electrical and optical behaviors of the thin film solar cells, respectively. A 14.76% efficiency is obtained for triangle’ SPPs of about 1.07% of efficiency improvement compared to solar cell of SPPs free. The solar cell electrical parameters also are extracted in this work based on a single diode equivalent model. The series resistance is enhanced for solar cells of equilateral triangle SPP by 3% compared to the non-applied SPPs.

scholarly journals Optical Absorption Enhancement in Amorphous Silicon Films and Solar Cell Precursors Using the Aluminum-Induced Glass Texturing Method

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasim Sahraei ◽  
Selvaraj Venkataraj ◽  
Premachandran Vayalakkara ◽  
Armin G. Aberle
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Optical Absorption ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Absorber Layer ◽  
Silicon Films ◽  
Absorption Enhancement ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency

One of the key issues of thin-film silicon solar cells is their limited optical absorptance due to the thin absorber layer and the low absorption coefficient for near-infrared wavelengths. Texturing of one or more interfaces in the layered structure of these cells is an important technique to scatter light and enhance the optical pathlength. This in turn enhances the optical absorption of the solar radiation in the absorber layer and improves the solar cell efficiency. In this paper we investigate the effects of textured glass superstrate surfaces on the optical absorptance of intrinsic a-Si:H films and a-Si:Hp-i-nthin-film solar cell precursors deposited onto them. The silicon-facing surface of the glass sheets was textured with the aluminium-induced glass texturing method (AIT method). Absorption in both intrinsic silicon films and solar cell precursor structures is found to increase strongly due to the textured glass superstrate. The increased absorption due to the AIT glass opens up the possibility to reduce the absorber layer thickness of a-Si:H solar cells.

scholarly journals Incorporation of CdCl2 surface treatment into the CdS/ZnTe hetero-junction solar cell device structures for efficiency improvement

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olajide I Olusola
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Surface Treatment ◽  
Tin Oxide ◽  
Window Layer ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency ◽  
Device Structures ◽  
Cdcl2 Treatment

p-ZnTe thin film semiconductors have been successfully used as an absorber material to n-CdS window layer by effectively optimising the ZnTe absorber layer thickness. In order to create a two terminal hetero-junction diode from the n- and p- type materials, two ohmic electrical contacts are required. This was achieved by depositing n-CdS layers on glass/fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting substrate and evaporating Au on p-ZnTe layer. The ZnTe layer was successfully electroplated on CdS thin film grown on glass/fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting substrates. The device structures were subjected to heat treatment in air with and without CdCl2 surface treatment using temperature of 400oC and duration of 10 minutes. The incorporation of the CdCl2 treatment led to enhancement in the solar cell efficiency. Solar cells developed from glass/FTO/n-CdS/p-ZnTe/Au device structure gave an open circuit voltage (Voc) of 450 mV, short circuit current density (Jsc) of 7.26 mAcm-2 and fill-factor (FF) of 0.31 resulting in 1.0% efficiency (η) for n-CdS/p-ZnTe heterostructure annealed ordinarily in air. After treating the top surface of n-CdS/p-ZnTe heterostructure with CdCl2 solution, all the solar cell parameters improved with Voc of 480 mV, Jsc of 24.0 mAcm-2 and FF of 0.46 giving a total efficiency of 5.3%. For the CdS/ZnTe heterostructures treated without and with CdCl2 solution, the rectification factors (RF) observed from the I-V characteristics under dark condition for these devices are 101.0 and 102.2 respectively. Both devices show ideality factors (n) in excess of 2.0 and the reverse saturation currents are 79.4 and 0.16 nA for hetero-junction structures without and with CdCl2 treatment respectively. The improvement in the solar cell efficiency can be accredited to the integration of the CdCl2 treatment in the p-n junction cells. Keywords: Solar Cells, p-n Junction Diodes, n-CdS, Heterostructure, p-ZnTe, CdCl2 surface treatment.

Temperature Dependence of Electrical Characterization in n+ - CdS/ p - CdTe Thin Film Solar Cells – Study of Shallow/Deep Defects

2013 ◽  
Vol 1493 ◽  
pp. 161-167
Author(s):  
Poonam Rani Kharangarh ◽  
George E Georgiou ◽  
Ken K Chin
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Depletion Region ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Back Contact ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Trap Energy ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency

ABSTRACTFor CdTe there is no real distinction between defects and impurities exists when non-shallow dopants are used. These dopants act as beneficial impurities or detrimental carrier trapping centers. Unlike Si, the common assumption that the trap energy level Et is around the middle of the band-gap Ei, is not valid for thin film CdTe. Trap energy levels in CdTe band-gap can distributed with wide range of energy levels above EF. To identify the real role of traps and dopants that limit the solar cell efficiency, a series of samples were investigated in thin film n+-CdS/p-CdTe solar cell, made with evaporated Cu as a primary back contact. It is well known that process temperatures and defect distribution are highly related. This work investigates these shallow level impurities by using temperature dependent current-voltage (I-V-T) and temperature dependent capacitance-voltage (C-V-T) measurements. I-V-T and C-V-T measurements indicate that a large concentration of defects is located in the depletion region. It further suggests that while modest amounts of Cu enhance the cell performance by improving the back contact to CdTe, the high temperature (greater than ∼100°C) process condition degrade device quality and reduce the solar cell efficiency. This is possibly because of the well-established Cu diffusion from the back contact into CdTe. Hence, measurements were performed at lower temperatures (T = 150K to 350K). The observed traps are due to the thermal ionization of impurity centers located in the depletion region of p-CdTe/n+-CdS junction. For our n+-CdS/p-CdTe thin film solar cells, hole traps were observed that are verified by both the measurement techniques. These levels are identical to the observed trap levels by other characterization techniques.

scholarly journals Junction Configuration Effects on the Photovoltaic Parameters of a-Si/CZTS Solar Cells

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Bitam ◽  
B. Hadjoudja ◽  
Beddiaf Zaidi ◽  
C. Shakher ◽  
S. Gagui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Open Circuit Voltage ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Photovoltaic Devices ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency ◽  
Reported Study ◽  
Stated Problem

Due to increased energy intensive human activities resulting accelerated demand for electric power coupled with occurrence of natural disasters with increased frequency, intensity, and duration, it becomes essential to explore and advance renewable energy technology for sustainability of the society. Addressing the stated problem and providing a radical solution has been attempted in this study. To harvest the renewable energy, among variety of solar cells reported, a composite a-Si/CZTS photovoltaic devices has not yet been investigated. The calculated parameters for solar cell based on the new array of layers consisting of a-Si/CZTS are reported in this study. The variation of i) solar cell efficiency as a function of CZTS layer thickness, temperature, acceptor, and donor defect concentration; ii) variation of the open circuit current density as a function of temperature, open circuit voltage; iii) variation of open circuit voltage as a function of the thickness of the CZTS layer has been determined. There has been no reported study on a-Si/CZTS configuration-based solar cell, analysis of the parameters, and study to address the challenges imped efficiency of the photovoltaic device and the same has been discussed in this work. The value of the SnO2/a-Si/CZTS solar cells obtained from the simulation is 23.9 %.

High Haze and Low Resistive MgO/AZO Bi-layer Transparent Conducting Oxide for Thin Film Solar Cells

2011 ◽  
Vol 1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Won Kang ◽  
Jong Seok Woo ◽  
Sung Hwan Choi ◽  
Seung Yoon Lee ◽  
Heon Min. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Silicon Solar Cell ◽  
Transparent Conducting Oxide ◽  
Visible Region ◽  
Xrd Analysis ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Microcrystalline Silicon ◽  
Transparent Conducting

ABSTRACTWe have propsed MgO/AZO bi-layer transparent conducting oxide (TCO) for thin film solar cells. From XRD analysis, it was observed that the full width at half maximum of AZO decreased when it was grown on MgO precursor. The Hall mobility of MgO/AZO bi-layer was 17.5cm2/Vs, whereas that of AZO was 20.8cm2/Vs. These indicated that the crystallinity of AZO decreased by employing MgO precursor. However, the haze (=total diffusive transmittance/total transmittance) characteristics of highly crystalline AZO was significantly improved by MgO precursor. The average haze in the visible region increased from 14.3 to 48.2%, and that in the NIR region increased from 6.3 to 18.9%. The reflectance of microcrystalline silicon solar cell was decreased and external quantum efficiency was significantly improved by applying MgO/AZO bi-layer TCO. The efficiency of microcrystalline silicon solar cell with MgO/AZO bi-layer front TCO was 6.66%, whereas the efficiency of one with AZO single TCO was 5.19%.

scholarly journals Water-soluble ZnSe/ZnS:Mn/ZnS quantum dots convert UV to visible light for improved Si solar cell efficiency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisaaki Nishimura ◽  
Takaya Maekawa ◽  
Kazushi Enomoto ◽  
Naoteru Shigekawa ◽  
Tomomi Takagi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Dots ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Visible Light ◽  
Solar Spectrum ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency ◽  
Si Solar Cell ◽  
Si Solar Cells

The sensitivity of Si solar cells to the UV portion of the solar spectrum is low, and must be increased to further improve their efficiencies.

Self-assembled propylammonium cations at grain boundaries and the film surface to improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (41) ◽  
pp. 23739-23746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengbin Fei ◽  
Meng Zhou ◽  
Jonathan Ogle ◽  
Detlef-M. Smilgies ◽  
Luisa Whittaker-Brooks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Cells ◽  
Solar Cell ◽  
Grain Boundary ◽  
Grain Boundaries ◽  
Perovskite Solar Cells ◽  
Film Surface ◽  
Solar Cell Efficiency ◽  
Cell Efficiency ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Moisture Stability

Large size cation (PA) was introduced into the grain boundary and film surface of the 3D perovskite to improve the solar cell efficiency and moisture stability.

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