All-sputtered 14% CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cell with ZnO:Al transparent conducting oxide

Radio-frequency (rf)-sputtered Al-doped ZnO was used as the transparent front contact in the fabrication of high efficiency superstrate configuration CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cells. These cells had CdS and CdTe layers also deposited by rf sputtering at 250degreesC with the highest processing temperature of 387degreesC reached during a post-deposition treatment. The devices were tested at National Renewable Energy Laboratory and yielded an efficiency of 14.0%, which is excellent for a CdTe cell using ZnO and also for any sputtered CdTe solar cell. The low-temperature deposition process using sputtering for all semiconductor layers facilitates the use of ZnO and conveys significant advantages for the fabrication of more complex multiple layers needed for the fabrication of tandem polycrystalline solar cells and for cells on polymer materials. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.