Abstract
A bifacial CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cell with a superstrate configuration was demonstrated by using copper nanowire (CuNW)/indium tin oxide (ITO) back contacts as a transparent and conductive electrode (TCE). CdS and CdTe were deposited by chemical bath deposition and close-spaced sublimation techniques, respectively. The CuNWs acted both as an acceptor dopant and TCE for the p-CdTe, improving the total cell efficiency compared to a copper-free back contact. CuNW/ITO back contacts with high optical transmittance (72.3% at 550 nm) and low sheet resistance (47.1 Ω/sq.) were obtained. The average cell efficiency of the bifacial CdS/CdTe thin-film cells with the optimized CuNW/ITO back contact was 10.0% (front-side illumination) and 0.55% (rear-side illumination). The quantum efficiencies under front-side and rear-side illumination were studied. The prepared bifacial cell can facilitate full usage of incoming sunlight (direct or diffused), enhancing the output power under cloudy conditions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 23594-23601 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Optics Express |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 18 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2018 Sept 3 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation & Planning (KETEP); Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of Korea (grant Nos. 20153030012110, 20173010012970).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics