DataVXACS Energy LettersPaper
journal article·2017-01-13Open access

Transparent Ohmic Contacts for Solution-Processed, Ultrathin CdTe Solar Cells

J. Matthew Kurley, Matthew G. Panthani, Ryan W. Crisp, Sanjini U. Nanayakkara, Gregory F. Pach, Matthew O. Reese, Margaret H. Hudson, Dmitriy S. Dolzhnikov, Vadim Tanygin, Joseph M. Luther, Dmitri V. Talapin

ACS Energy Letters· Volume 2· Issue 1
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Source abstract

Abstract

Recently, solution-processing became a viable route for depositing CdTe for use in photovoltaics. Ultrathin (∼500 nm) solar cells have been made using colloidal CdTe nanocrystals with efficiencies exceeding 12% power conversion efficiency (PCE) demonstrated by using very simple device stacks. Further progress requires an effective method for extracting charge carriers generated during light harvesting. Here, we explored solution-based methods for creating transparent Ohmic contacts to the solution-deposited CdTe absorber layer and demonstrated molecular and nanocrystal approaches to Ohmic hole-extracting contacts at the ITO/CdTe interface. We used scanning Kelvin probe microscopy to further show how the above approaches improved carrier collection by reducing the potential drop under reverse bias across the ITO/CdTe interface. Other methods, such as spin-coating CdTe/A 2 CdTe 2 (A = Na, K, Cs, N 2 H 5 ), can be used in conjunction with current/light soaking to improve PCE further.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline

Research context

NanomaterialsElectronic materials

OpenAlex topics: Quantum Dots Synthesis And Properties · Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films · Nanowire Synthesis and Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Chemistry and James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-2230, United States

Department of Physics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States

National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States

Department of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States

Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States

Funding

Office of Naval Research Global · Solar Energy Technologies Program · Division of Materials Research · II-VI Foundation

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