Graphitic carbon/n-CdTe Schottky-type heterojunction solar cells prepared by electron-beam evaporation

We report on the analysis of the electrical and photoelectrical properties of graphitic carbon/n-CdTe Schottky-type heterojunction solar cells, which have been prepared by the deposition of transparent graphitic carbon films of nanometer thickness onto freshly cleaved n-CdTe substrates by the electron-beam evaporation technique. The presence of the electrically-active interface states at the heterojunction interface was revealed from the analysis of the dominating current transport at forward and reverse bias and from the capacitance-voltage characteristics. The unoptimized graphitic carbon/n-CdTe Schottky-type heterojunctions possess a rectification ratio of RR=1390 and produce a maximum short circuit current density of J(sc)=8.47 mA cm(-2), an open-circuit voltage of V-oc=0.435 V and fill factor of FF=0.37 under standard illumination conditions (100 mW cm(-2) AM 1.5). (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.