Polycrystalline cadmium telluride 3n-i-p solar cell
Abstract
The CdS/CdTe/ZnTe n-i-p solar cell and its ternary relatives have the potential to meet Department of Energy cost, efficiency, and stability goals. This report describes results of a continuing program to achieve these goals. A record-breaking efficiency of 11 percent has been demonstrated and verified at the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI). Stability testing for 3000 hours indicates that the n-i-p structure is stable. Improving the short-circuit current by substituting Cd/sub x/Zn/sub 1-x/S for CdS has been successful and has produced 8 plus percent efficient cells with 2.6 eV windows using improved pyrolysis equipment. Transparent n-i-p devices have been produced with a SERI-verified efficiency of 9.4 percent . Collaborations with researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Institute of Energy Conversion, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory have resulted in jointly produced n-i-p cells. Cells produced by molecular beam epitaxy and metal organic chemical vapor deposition had efficiencies greater than 9 percent; cells produced by thermal vacuum evaporation had efficiencies greater than 7 percent.
- Publication:
-
NASA STI/Recon Technical Report N
- Pub Date:
- June 1989
- Bibcode:
- 1989STIN...8928945M
- Keywords:
-
- Cadmium Sulfides;
- Cadmium Tellurides;
- Deposition;
- Heterojunctions;
- Polycrystals;
- Solar Cells;
- Thin Films;
- Zinc Tellurides;
- Efficiency;
- Fabrication;
- Energy Production and Conversion