Title :
Thin films of cadmium telluride produced using stacked elemental layer (SEL) processing in a variety of annealing environments [solar cells]
Author :
Bhatti, M.T. ; Groarke, E.P. ; Miles, R.W. ; Carter, M.J. ; Hill, R.
Author_Institution :
Newcastle Polytech., UK
Abstract :
The stacked elemental layer (SEL) technique has been used to synthesize thin films of CdTe for solar cell applications. In this work, Cd and Te layers were deposited using thermal evaporation and the layers annealed in nitrogen, vacuum, or air at temperatures in the range 350°C-600°C for 15 min. Transmittance and reflectance data, X-ray diffraction data, and scanning electron microscopy observations of the surface topology are given. Post-synthesis annealing of the layers using CuCl2/CdCl2/methanol was also investigated. This treatment was found to substantially increase the grain size
Keywords :
II-VI semiconductors; X-ray diffraction examination of materials; annealing; cadmium compounds; evaporation; grain size; scanning electron microscope examination of materials; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; 15 min; 350 to 600 degC; CdTe; X-ray diffraction; annealing environments; grain size; reflectance; scanning electron microscopy; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; stacked elemental layer; surface topology; thermal evaporation; transmittance; Annealing; Cadmium compounds; Electrons; Nitrogen; Photovoltaic cells; Reflectivity; Tellurium; Temperature distribution; Transistors; X-ray diffraction;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Specialists Conference, 1991., Conference Record of the Twenty Second IEEE
Conference_Location :
Las Vegas, NV
Print_ISBN :
0-87942-636-5
DOI :
10.1109/PVSC.1991.169389
