Wiring-up Carbon Single Wall Nanotubes to Polycrystalline Inorganic Semiconductor Thin Films: Low-Barrier, Copper-Free Back Contact to CdTe Solar Cells

We have discovered that films of carbon single wall nanotubes (SWNTs) make excellent back contacts to CdTe devices without any modification to the CdTe surface. Efficiencies of SWNT-contacted devices are slightly higher than otherwise identical devices formed with standard Au/Cu back contacts. The S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2013-11, Vol.13 (11), p.5224-5232
Main Authors: Phillips, Adam B, Khanal, Rajendra R, Song, Zhaoning, Zartman, Rosa M, DeWitt, Jonathan L, Stone, Jon M, Roland, Paul J, Plotnikov, Victor V, Carter, Chad W, Stayancho, John M, Ellingson, Randall J, Compaan, Alvin D, Heben, Michael J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Cadmium tellurides
Carbon
Contact
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Devices
Energy
Exact sciences and technology
Materials science
Nanocrystalline materials
Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization
Nanotubes
Natural energy
Photovoltaic conversion
Physics
Semiconductors
Single wall carbon nanotubes
Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells
Solar energy
Thin films
Walls
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Summary:We have discovered that films of carbon single wall nanotubes (SWNTs) make excellent back contacts to CdTe devices without any modification to the CdTe surface. Efficiencies of SWNT-contacted devices are slightly higher than otherwise identical devices formed with standard Au/Cu back contacts. The SWNT layer is thermally stable and easily applied with a spray process, and SWNT-contacted devices show no signs of degradation during accelerated life testing.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/nl402659c