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58 records · Page 4

Electro-Optical Characterization of Arsenic-Doped CdSeTe and CdTe Solar Cell Absorbers Doped in-situ During Close Space Sublimation

Most contemporary device models predict that an acceptor concentration of at least 10^16 cm^-3 is required to reach an open circuit voltage of 1 V in polycrystalline CdTe-based solar cells. While copper has traditionally been used as the de facto p-type dopant in polycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium selenide telluride (CdSeTe), reaching high acceptor concentrations has proved to be challenging in such devices due to significant dopant compensation. The acceptor concentration in copper-doped CdTe and CdSeTe typically ranges from 10^13 to 10^15 cm^-3 and routinely exhibit low external radiative efficiencies below 0.01%, limiting their implied voltage (i.e., quasi-Fermi level splitting) to approximately 900 mV. As an alternative to copper, this work explores the use of arsenic as a p-type dopant for CdTe and CdSeTe. Using a novel technique in which a thin layer of arsenic-containing material is deposited and used as a reservoir for arsenic to diffuse into a front layer of previously undoped material, this contribution demonstrates that high external radiative efficiencies are achievable, a direct result of combined high acceptor concentrations and long minority-carrier lifetimes in the absorber. This leads to improved implied voltages, and indicates that As-doping represents a promising pathway towards improving the external voltage of CdSeTe/CdTe solar cells.

cadmium telluride↗

Spatial variation of the low-temperature micro-photoluminescence of THM-grown CdZnTeSe

The quaternary compound CdZnTeSe (CZTS) has emerged as a next-generation detector material. Unlike CdZnTe (CZT), CZTS has the distinct advantages of little or no sub-grain boundary networks and a much lower concentration of Te inclusions, plus better compositional homogeneity. Thus, the material is expected to offer better spatial charge-transport homogeneity compared to CZT. However, an inhomogeneous distribution of point defects in both CZT and CZTS, such as Cd vacancies and residual impurities, can impose additional spatial inhomogeneity of the resistivity, carrier mobilities, and carrier lifetimes of the material. To investigate the spatial distribution of such defects in CZTS, low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic studies were performed at different positions along a single crystalline CZTS sample surface, which was grown by the traveling heater method (THM). In conclusion, the intensity variation of the PL emission of excitons bound to a neutral acceptor defect (A 0 , X), which is likely dominated by an acceptor like Cu-related level, with respect to the PL emission line from a neutral donor-bound exciton (D 0 , X) exhibited significant spatial variation, while the peak energy positions were approximately uniform due to the high compositional and bandgap homogeneity of the material.

II-VI semiconductor↗

Characterizing Thermal Properties of Melting Te Semiconductor: Thermal Diffusivity Measurements and Simulation

Tellurium is an element for many II-VI and I-III-VI(sub 2) compounds that are useful materials for fabricating many devices. In the melt growth techniques, the thermal properties of the molten phase are important parameter for controlling growth process to improve semiconducting crystal quality. In this study, thermal diffusivity of molten tellurium has been measured by a laser flash method in the temperature range from 500 C to 900 C. A pulsed laser with 1064 nm wavelength is focused on one side of the measured sample. The thermal diffusivity can be estimated from the temperature transient at the other side of the sample. A numerical simulation based on the thermal transport process has been also performed. By numerically fitting the experimental results, both the thermal conductivity and heat capacity can be derived. A relaxation phenomenon, which shows a slow drift of the measured thermal conductivity toward the equilibrium value after cooling of the sample, was observed for the first time. The error analysis and the comparison of the results to published data measured by other techniques will be discussed.

Zhu, Shen↗

Characterizing Thermal Properties of Melting Te Semiconductor: Thermal Diffusivity Measurements and Simulation

Tellurium is an element for many II-VI and I-III-VI(sub 2) compounds that are useful materials for fabricating many devises. In the melt growth techniques, the thermal properties of the molten phase are important parameter for controlling growth process to improve semiconducting crystal quality. In this study, thermal diffusivity of molten tellurium has been measured by a laser flash method in the temperature range from 500 C to 900 C. A pulsed laser with 1064 nm wavelength is focused on one side of the measured sample. The thermal diffusivity can be estimated from the temperature transient at the other side of the sample. A numerical simulation based on the thermal transport process has been also performed. By numerically fitting the experimental results, both the thermal conductivity and heat capacity can be derived. A relaxation phenomenon, which shows a slow drift of the measured thermal conductivity toward the equilibrium value after cooling of the sample, was observed for the first time. The error analysis and the comparison of the results to published data measured by other techniques will be discussed in the presentation.

Zhu, Shen↗