Increasing the Collection Efficiency in Selenium Thin-Film Solar Cells Using a Closed-Space Annealing Strategy

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Nielsen, Rasmus, Schleuning, Markus, Karalis, Orestis, Hemmingsen, Tobias H., Hansen, Ole, Chorkendorff, Ib, Unold, Thomas, Vesborg, Peter C. K.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Nielsen, Rasmus
Schleuning, Markus
Karalis, Orestis
Hemmingsen, Tobias H.
Hansen, Ole
Chorkendorff, Ib
Unold, Thomas
Vesborg, Peter C. K.
author_facet Nielsen, Rasmus
Schleuning, Markus
Karalis, Orestis
Hemmingsen, Tobias H.
Hansen, Ole
Chorkendorff, Ib
Unold, Thomas
Vesborg, Peter C. K.
contents Elemental selenium is a promising wide-bandgap ($E_\mathrm{G}\approx$ 1.95 eV) photovoltaic material for the next generation of thin-film solar cells. To realize high-efficiency selenium solar cells, it is crucial to optimize the crystallization process of the selenium thin-film photoabsorber. However, the high vapor pressure of selenium restricts the processing conditions to a compromise between the growth of large crystal grains and the formation of pinholes. In this study, we introduce a closed-space annealing (CSA) strategy designed to suppress the sublimation of selenium, enabling thermal annealing processes at higher temperatures and for longer periods of time. As a result, we consistently improve carrier collection and the overall photovoltaic device performance in our selenium solar cells. By characterizing the carrier dynamics in our devices, we conclude that the observed improvements result from a reduction in charge transfer resistance rather than an increase in carrier diffusion length. The CSA strategy is a promising method for controlling surface morphology and roughness without reducing crystal grain sizes, which paves the way for further advancements in the efficiency and reproducibility of selenium thin-film solar cells.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_15936
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Increasing the Collection Efficiency in Selenium Thin-Film Solar Cells Using a Closed-Space Annealing Strategy
Nielsen, Rasmus
Schleuning, Markus
Karalis, Orestis
Hemmingsen, Tobias H.
Hansen, Ole
Chorkendorff, Ib
Unold, Thomas
Vesborg, Peter C. K.
Materials Science
Applied Physics
Elemental selenium is a promising wide-bandgap ($E_\mathrm{G}\approx$ 1.95 eV) photovoltaic material for the next generation of thin-film solar cells. To realize high-efficiency selenium solar cells, it is crucial to optimize the crystallization process of the selenium thin-film photoabsorber. However, the high vapor pressure of selenium restricts the processing conditions to a compromise between the growth of large crystal grains and the formation of pinholes. In this study, we introduce a closed-space annealing (CSA) strategy designed to suppress the sublimation of selenium, enabling thermal annealing processes at higher temperatures and for longer periods of time. As a result, we consistently improve carrier collection and the overall photovoltaic device performance in our selenium solar cells. By characterizing the carrier dynamics in our devices, we conclude that the observed improvements result from a reduction in charge transfer resistance rather than an increase in carrier diffusion length. The CSA strategy is a promising method for controlling surface morphology and roughness without reducing crystal grain sizes, which paves the way for further advancements in the efficiency and reproducibility of selenium thin-film solar cells.
title Increasing the Collection Efficiency in Selenium Thin-Film Solar Cells Using a Closed-Space Annealing Strategy
topic Materials Science
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.15936