High-resolution mapping of nonuniform carrier transport at contacts to polycrystalline CdTe/CdS solar cells
- 16 March 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 84 (12), 2100-2102
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1688997
Abstract
We demonstrate a spectroscopic technique based on scanning tunneling microscopy that provides high-resolution maps of local carrier transport across contacts to polycrystalline thin-film solar cells. Using this technique, preferential transport channels across a back contact of a solar cell are imaged with 20 nm spatial resolution. Transport across this contact is highly nonuniform. Large areas of high resistance coexist with nanoscale low-resistance regions that are strongly correlated with grain boundaries in the CdTe absorber. These results suggest an important role of grain boundaries as near-contact conducting channels.
Keywords
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