Band diagrams and performance of CdTe solar cells with a Sb2Te3 back contact buffer layer

Sb2Te3 thin films were prepared by vacuum co-evaporation and the crystallinity of the films was greatly improved after annealing at 573 K in N2 ambient. Then they were deposited on the CdTe thick films. Band diagrams of the as-deposited and annealed CdTe/Sb2Te3 interfaces were constructed. Consequently, Sb2Te3 was used as a back contact layer for CdTe thin film solar cells and the cell performance was investigated. It was found that the Sb impurities accumulated in the CdTe grain boundaries diffuse deeply in the CdTe layer, and more photogenerated electrons and holes are separated by the segregated SbCd+ donors into the GBs. What is more, the doping concentration in the vicinity of the CdTe/CdS heterojunction increases for the formation of substitutional SbTe- acceptors under the Cd-rich conditions. For the introduction of the p-type Sb2Te3 layers as the back contact to the CdTe thin film solar cells, the performance of CdTe thin film solar cells has been greatly improved and an efficiency of 13.1% (FF=62.3%, Jsc=25.8 mA/cm2, Voc= 815.8 mV) obtained.