Article
Energy & Fuels
Dan A. Lamb, Stuart J. C. Irvine, Mark A. Baker, Craig Underwood, Simran Mardhani
Summary: This paper details the performance of CdTe photovoltaics onboard the AlSat-1N CubeSat in space, highlighting the potential and future development direction of the technology. The study shows that the cells are functioning normally, but there is room for improvement in areas such as stability and back contact processing.
PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
A. U. Yimamu, M. A. Afrassa, B. F. Dejene, O. K. Echendu, J. J. Terblans, H. C. Swart, S. J. Motloung
Summary: Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin films were synthesized using a less commonly used salt, cadmium acetate, as a cadmium precursor. The film's structure, optical properties, conductivity, surface morphology, elemental composition, and surface roughness were investigated using XRD, UV-VIS, PEC, SEM, EDS, and SPM. The results showed that the film prepared at a deposition voltage of 1250 mV had better potential application.
MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Crystallography
Muhammad Najib Harif, Camellia Doroody, Allina Nadzri, Hasrul Nisham Rosly, Nur Irwany Ahmad, Mustapha Isah, Nowshad Amin
Summary: In this study, the loss mechanism and performance limitations of the CdTe solar cell device were analyzed using a SCAPS-1D simulator, with a focus on the band-bending effect caused by the copper chloride treatment and Cu2Te layer formation at the back contact. The optimal energy bandgap range for the back surface layer of Cu2Te was determined to be 1.1 eV to 1.3 eV, resulting in a maximum conversion efficiency of around 21.3%. The effect of the absorber layer's carrier concentration on CdTe film thickness, bandgap, and operational temperature was also investigated, revealing the significant contribution of acceptor concentration to the device performance.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Michael J. Watts, Peter Hatton, Roger Smith, Tom Fiducia, Ali Abbas, Rachael Greenhalgh, John M. Walls, Pooja Goddard
Summary: Cadmium telluride is a key material in second generation thin-film photovoltaic technology, with a high solar cell conversion efficiency achieved through activation treatment with CdCl2. Chlorine atoms concentrated at grain boundaries after treatment, and density functional theory calculations show their stabilization compared to bulk CdTe. These findings suggest that the passivation of single-particle levels by halogens is the primary cause of the efficiency enhancement in chlorine treatment.
PHYSICAL REVIEW MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Imran S. Khan, Tursun Ablekim, Deborah L. McGott, Brian Good, Craig L. Perkins, Wyatt K. Metzger, Andriy Zakutayev
Summary: The study demonstrates a high-throughput approach to codesign chemical compositions in alloyed MgxZn1-xO/CdSeyTe1-y thin-film solar cells, with efficiency up to 17.7% related to elemental compositions.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zhaomeng Li, Jie Ji, Weiqi Yuan, Bin Zhao, Fan Zhou, Md Muin Uddin, Xiao Ren, Bendong Yu, Zhiying Song
Summary: The research explores the optimization of CdTe-PV/T in hot climates through the use of CdTe cells, experimental testing, and numerical simulations to improve performance, increase electrical energy acquisition, and enhance energy efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
C. H. Swartz, E. G. LeBlanc, C. Perkins, D. L. McGott, M. O. Reese, A. Nichols, T. H. Myers
Summary: For solar cells based on CdTe, we investigated p-type PbTe and SnTe as ohmic contacts. The results showed that the highest doped PbTe resulted in desirable band alignment with CdTe, leading to improved performance of the CdTe solar cells, primarily from increased fill factor.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Sudarshan Kumar Jain, Vijay Janyani, Nikhil Deep Gupta
Summary: In order to develop highly efficient thin film solar cells at a reduced cost, the use of plasmonic nanoparticles for light management has emerged as a prominent solution. This article discusses the role of nanostructures as back reflectors in Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar cells and presents a thorough analysis of their optical performance. The results demonstrate that the proposed design with periodic nanostructures outperforms the reference planar aluminum back reflector and bare cell structure in terms of absorption and back reflection.
OPTICAL AND QUANTUM ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Jyoti Yadav, M. D. Anoop, Nisha Yadav, N. Srinivasa Rao, Fouran Singh, Takayuki Ichikawa, Ankur Jain, Kamlendra Awasthi, Rini Singh, Manoj Kumar
Summary: The effects of Ni7+ ion irradiation on Bi2Te3 thin films synthesized by e-beam evaporation were investigated. The films exhibited a polycrystalline rhombohedral structure. Irradiation caused a decrease in crystallite size and an increase in lattice strain. Raman spectra showed changes in A(1u)(1) modes with ion fluence. Surface roughness decreased due to the formation of nanocrystallites. XPS analysis confirmed the near stoichiometric composition of the films. The resistivity increased with ion fluence, resulting in a crossover behavior from n to p-type carriers. Compensation of bulk charge carriers was observed in the ion-irradiated films by adjusting the Fermi level.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN ELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Vijay Singh Meena, Ajay Kumar Saini, Anand Singh, Sumit Jain, Devendra Kumar Rana, Mohan Singh Mehata
Summary: Four-layer anti-reflection coating film stacks were grown on the backside of the HgCdTe-CdZnTe assembly using the thermal-evaporation deposition technique. The ARC film stacks exhibited desired surface morphology, elemental composition, and micro-structural features. The reflectance of HgCdTe-CdZnTe assembly was reduced to less than 1.0% within the mid-wave infrared spectral region, proving the effectiveness of the four-layer ARC film stacks.
MATERIALS SCIENCE IN SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Nowshad Amin, Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Zeid Abdullah ALOthman
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of deposition pressure on the formation of CdTe thin films grown on ultra-thin glass substrates at high temperature using the CSS technique. The results showed that low pressure (1-5 Torr) led to maximum grain growth in CdTe films, while the film thickness and optical properties varied with different deposition pressures.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Thomas Fiducia, Ashley Howkins, Ali Abbas, Budhika Mendis, Amit Munshi, Kurt Barth, Walajabad Sampath, John Walls
Summary: Cadmium telluride (CdTe) solar cells achieve high efficiencies through passivation of grain boundaries and grain interior defects. The use of selenium alloying in Cd(Se-x,Te1-x) material further improves the passivation effect, providing new possibilities for efficiency improvement and cost reduction in solar electricity.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Michel Piliougine, Paula Sanchez-Firera, Giovanni Petrone, Francisco Jose Sanchez-Pacheco, Giovanni Spagnuolo, Mariano Sidrach-de-Cardona
Summary: The performance of four thin-film photovoltaic modules is analyzed after an initial stabilization period and an outdoor exposition, and their seasonal variations and degradation rates are examined and correlated to spectral changes. The results show that the a-Si:H module has the highest annual degradation rate, while the degradation of the CIGS module is relatively low.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Nipawan Suwannakham, Auttasit Tubtimtae
Summary: In this study, aluminum telluride thin films were synthesized using a systematic electrodeposition method at different applied anodic potentials (2-12 V) on conductive FTO glass substrates. The unique properties of the Al2Te3 thin films were investigated using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and ultraviolet-visible (UV) spectroscopy. The results show that the electrodeposited Al2Te3 films can be a promising candidate for solar absorber materials or other optoelectronic applications, with the optimum applied anodic potential condition in the range of 8-12 V.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jiayi Zhang, Huafei Guo, Xuguang Jia, Huan Ning, Changhao Ma, Xiuqin Wang, Jianhua Qiu, Ningyi Yuan, Jianning Ding
Summary: This study utilized MoO3 thin films as the back contact layer in Sb2Se3 thin-film solar cells, successfully improving the efficiency of the cells and addressing back contact issues, providing potential for further applications.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
C. Drost, B. Siepchen, V. Krishnakumar, B. Spaeth, C. Kraft, T. Modes, O. Zywitzki
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Stephan Barth, Hagen Bartzsch, Daniel Gloess, Peter Frach, Thomas Modes, Olaf Zywitzki, Gunnar Suchaneck, Gerald Gerlach
MICROSYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES-MICRO-AND NANOSYSTEMS-INFORMATION STORAGE AND PROCESSING SYSTEMS
(2016)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Bert Scheffel, Olaf Zywitzki, Christoph Metzner
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Olaf Zywitzki, Thomas Modes, Stephan Barth, Hagen Bartzsch, Peter Frach
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Fred Fietzke, Olaf Zywitzki
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
V. Krishnakumar, B. Spaeth, C. Drost, C. Kraft, B. Siepchen, A. Delahoy, X. Tan, K. Chin, S. Peng, D. Hirsch, O. Zywitzki, T. Modes, H. Morgner
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Stefan Saager, Bert Scheffel, Olaf Zywitzki, Thomas Modes, Markus Piwko, Susanne Doerfler, Holger Althues, Christoph Metzner
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Matthias Fahland, Olaf Zywitzki, Thomas Modes, Komal Vondkar, Torsten Werner, Clemens Ottermann, Markus Berendt, Gerd Pollack
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Stephan Barth, Susan Derenko, Hagen Bartzsch, Olaf Zywitzki, Thomas Modes, Fabian Patrovsky, Vera Fiehler, Tino Uhlig, Peter Frach, Lukas M. Eng
Article
Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering
O. Zywitzki, T. Modes, K. Schaefer
PRAKTISCHE METALLOGRAPHIE-PRACTICAL METALLOGRAPHY
(2020)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Bert Scheffel, Olaf Zywitzki, Thomas Preussner, Torsten Kopte
Summary: This paper investigates the influence of process parameters on the properties of indium tin oxide thin films deposited on glass substrates using an anodic vacuum arc. The results suggest that the film properties can be adjusted by varying the process parameters.
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Stefan Saager, Bert Scheffel, Thomas Modes, Olaf Zywitzki
Summary: Porous thin films were synthesized by EB-PVD, with zinc selectively removed through thermal annealing and vacancies generated by vapor phase dealloying. The feasibility of vapor phase dealloying for silicon, nickel, and carbon elements was investigated.
SURFACE & COATINGS TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Sebastien Buchwalder, Aurelio Borzi, Juan J. Diaz Leon, Florian Bourgeois, Cleo Nicolier, Sylvain Nicolay, Antonia Neels, Olaf Zywitzki, Andreas Hogg, Jurgen Burger
Summary: This study investigated the thermal impact on different types of Parylene films and evaluated their potential for high-temperature applications through analysis of thermal properties, structural properties, and barrier properties.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Stephan Barth, Tom Schreiber, Steffen Cornelius, Olaf Zywitzki, Thomas Modes, Hagen Bartzsch
Summary: This paper reports on the deposition and characterization of piezoelectric AlScN films on Si substrates using AlSc alloy targets. The films showed good homogeneity of film structure and piezoelectric properties when deposited with a higher share of unipolar pulse mode. The films exhibited ferroelectric switching behavior with coercive fields and polarization within certain ranges.
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Stephan Barth, Hagen Bartzsch, Daniel Gloess, Peter Frach, Thomas Modes, Olaf Zywitzki, Gunnar Suchaneck, Gerald Gerlach
SMART SENSORS, ACTUATORS, AND MEMS VII; AND CYBER PHYSICAL SYSTEMS
(2015)