Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film photovoltaic devices fabricated in -line process developed at Colorado State University (CSU) have shown stability during long-term (over a 5 year period) accelerated stress testing. These devices have a copper (Cu) containing back contact. The Cu profile as measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry characterization shows, for the maximum stressed device (23,399 h), that there is a significant (two times) change in the concentration of secondary Cu ions in the bulk of the material; however, the Cu concentration gradient at the back of the device has no significant change, and the CdS layer has no significant Cu concentration increase at open-circuit bias and temperature conditions. This indicates that with a proper treatment, Cu can be used to form the back contact for CdTe devices with acceptable stability. These devices have a projected field lifetime of greater than 60 years.
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e-mail: mani@engr.colostate.edu
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Research Papers
Stable Cu-Based Back Contacts for CdTe Thin Film Photovoltaic Devices
R. A. Enzenroth,
R. A. Enzenroth
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
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K. L. Barth,
K. L. Barth
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
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W. S. Sampath,
W. S. Sampath
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
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V. Manivannan,
V. Manivannan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
e-mail: mani@engr.colostate.edu
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
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A. T. Kirkpatrick,
A. T. Kirkpatrick
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
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P. Noronha
P. Noronha
AVA Solar Inc.
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
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R. A. Enzenroth
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
K. L. Barth
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
W. S. Sampath
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
V. Manivannan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523e-mail: mani@engr.colostate.edu
A. T. Kirkpatrick
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
Colorado State University
, Fort Collins, CO 80523
P. Noronha
AVA Solar Inc.
, Fort Collins, CO 80523J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2009, 131(2): 021012 (4 pages)
Published Online: April 9, 2009
Article history
Received:
August 17, 2007
Revised:
January 24, 2008
Published:
April 9, 2009
Citation
Enzenroth, R. A., Barth, K. L., Sampath, W. S., Manivannan, V., Kirkpatrick, A. T., and Noronha, P. (April 9, 2009). "Stable Cu-Based Back Contacts for CdTe Thin Film Photovoltaic Devices." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2009; 131(2): 021012. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3090820
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