IBIC analysis of CdTe/CdS solar cells

TL;DR

This study uses IBIC technique to analyze the electronic properties and radiation hardness of CdTe/CdS solar cells, revealing inhomogeneous charge collection and assessing their suitability for space applications.

Contribution

It applies IBIC to evaluate the electronic response and radiation tolerance of thin film CdTe/CdS solar cells, providing new insights into their inhomogeneity and durability.

Findings

Charge collection efficiency maps show inhomogeneity due to polycrystalline structure.

IBIC signal evolution indicates radiation hardness of the solar cells.

The cells demonstrate potential for space applications based on radiation tolerance.

Abstract

This paper reports on the investigation of the electronic properties of a thin film CdS/CdTe solar cell with the Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) technique. The device under test is a thin film (total thickness around 10 um) multilayer heterojunction solar cell, displaying an efficiency of 14% under AM1.5 illumination conditions. The IBIC measurements were carried out using focused 3.150 MeV He ions raster scanned onto the surface of the back electrode. The charge collection efficiency (CCE) maps show inhomogeneous response of the cell to be attributed to the polycrystalline nature of the CdTe bulk material. Finally, the evolution of the IBIC signal vs. the ion fluence was studied in order to evaluate the radiation hardness of the CdS/CdTe solar cells in view of their use in solar modules for space applications.