Polycrystalline CdSeTe/CdTe Absorber Cells With 28 mA/cm2 Short-Circuit Current

An 800 nm CdSeTe layer was added to the CdTe absorber used in high-efficiency CdTe cells to increase the current and produce an increase in efficiency. The CdSeTe layer employed had a band-gap near 1.41 eV, compared with 1.5 eV for CdTe. This lower band-gap enabled a current density increase from approximately 26 to over 28 mA/cm2. The open-circuit voltage obtained in the high-efficiency CdTe-only device was maintained and the fill-factor remained close to 80%. Improving the short-circuit current density and maintaining the open-circuit voltage lead to device efficiency over 19%. External quantum efficiency implied that about half the current was generated in the CdSeTe layer and half in the CdTe. Cross-sectional STEM and EDS showed good grain structure throughout. Diffusion of Se into the CdTe layer was observed. This is the highest efficiency polycrystalline CdTe photovoltaic device demonstrated by a university or national laboratory.