Development of a CdSe Thin Film Solar Cell

Summary

The application of the inherently simple MIS-technology to polycrystalline CdSe films leads to thin film solar cells which can be fabricated solely by standard vacuum evaporation processes.

Different investigations show that the “I-layer” plays a dominant role with respect to the photovoltaic properties of the cells. Specific steps to influence the electronic properties of this layer resulted in AM 1 efficiencies up to 7 percent for cells of 0.6 cm² active area.

Stability tests have established that the structures are very insensitive to humidity. Storage on the shelf for more than one year and even immersion into water does not seriously affect the unsealed cells.

Further optimisation can enhance the efficiency of this cost-effective, stable solar cell to about 10 percent, which is the final goal of this work.