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Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2006 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, July 30 – August 3, 2006

CdTe is a promising photovoltaic material due to its near optimum band gap and high absorption coefficient. Polycrystalline, thin-film CdTe/CdS solar cells have demonstrated an efficiency of 15.8%. High density of extended defects is often found in polycrystalline CdTe films grown by close-spaced sublimation (CSS). So far, most investigations of defects in CdTe have focused on epitaxially grown films, and the reported extended defects are mainly lamellar twins. However, epitaxially grown films generally have a different microstructure compared to CSS grown polycrystalline CdTe thin films. in this paper, we report our study of extended defects in CSSgrown polycrystalline CdTe thin films by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). We found that the extended defects are mostly lamellar twins and stacking faults. The stacking faults always propagate across the grains, without ending at a partial dislocation inside the grains.

Polycrystalline CdTe is a promising candidate for solar cells due to its nearly ideal band-gap, high absorption coefficient, and ease of film fabrication. Small-area CdTe/CdS cells with efficiencies of 16.0% have been demonstrated. The structure of a typical CdTe/CdS solar cell (Figure 1) consists of a glass superstrate, on which a thin layer of SnO2 is deposited (front contact), n-type CdS, p-type CdTe, and a back contact. Prior to applying the back contact to the CdTe, etching of the CdTe surface using a mixture of nitric and phosphoric (NP) acids is normally needed. It is known that the etching depletes a crystalline CdTe surface of Cd and creates a Te-rich layer. Two effects of the Te-rich layer has been proposed, namely, forming a Te-CdTe low-series-resistance contact and improving CdTe device stability by the gettering of Cu. Thus, the NP etching is an important process in the CdTe device fabrication. in this paper, we report on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of the microstructure of the surface of NP etched CdTe thin films.

The growth of high quality GaAs layers on single crystal Ge substrates has attracted a great deal of interest in recent years. Currently under development at NREL is the GaAs/GalnP-on-Ge high efficiency multi-junction solar cell. Unlike other heteroepitaxial systems such as GaAs-on-Si, physical properties such as the lattice parameter and thermal expansion coefficient of the Ge and GaAs are much closer. Further, Ge has a bandgap of 0.7 eV that makes it a suitable bottom cell in a multi-junction stack. However, the growth of GaAs on Ge is not a straightforward process, and little is known about the Ge surface and the nucleation of GaAs on Ge in the MOCVD environment. In this study, TEM results show that a number microstructural defects are associated with the Ge/GaAs interface and the initial stages of growth.