Strategies to increase CdTe solar-cell voltage

There is a significant difference in performance between today's highest efficiency of CdTe solar cells and single-crystal cells of comparable band gap. The largest contribution to this difference is the voltage, where the values for the best CdTe cells are about 230 mV below the best GaAs cells when an appropriate adjustment is made for band gap. CdTe voltage and fill-factor are currently compromised by low recombination lifetime (near 1 ns), low hole density (near 1014 cm− 3), and in some cases an excessive back-contact barrier. Numerical simulation is used to evaluate how combinations of lifetime, carrier density, back electron reflection, and interfacial properties affect voltage and cell performance. Two different strategies for improving voltage and performance are explored.