Modification of electron states in CdTe absorber due to a buffer layer in CdS/CdTe solar cells

TL;DR

This study investigates how different buffer layers (ZnO, ZnSe, ZnS) affect defect states and electronic properties in CdTe solar cells, revealing significant modifications that influence device performance.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how buffer layer choice alters defect density and energy levels in CdTe, impacting solar cell efficiency.

Findings

Buffer layers modify defect density and energy levels in CdTe.

Fermi level and deep trap levels shift with buffer layer choice.

Changes are linked to grain-boundary strain and charge trapping.

Abstract

By application of the ac admittance spectroscopy method, the defect state energy distributions were determined in CdTe incorporated in thin film solar cell structures concluded on ZnO, ZnSe, and ZnS buffer layers. Together with the Mott-Schottky analysis, the results revealed a strong modification of the defect density of states and the concentration of the uncompensated acceptors as influenced by the choice of the buffer layer. In the solar cells formed on ZnSe and ZnS, the Fermi level and the energy position of the dominant deep trap levels were observed to shift closer to the midgap of CdTe suggesting the mid-gap states may act as recombination centers and impact the open-circuit voltage and the fill factor of the solar cells. For the deeper states, the broadening parameter was observed to increase indicating fluctuations of the charge on a microscopic scale. Such changes can be attributed to the grain-boundary strain and the modification of the charge trapped at the grain-boundary interface states in polycrystalline CdTe