Tellurium-Rich CdTe, and the Effect of Tellurium Content on the Properties of CdTe

摘要

Co-evaporation of CdTe and Te has been reported to result in CdTe films with high hole concentrations. Higher carrier density should result in more efficient solar cells if the carrier lifetime is not effected. This achievement could have a large effect on CdTe technology, in which carrier density has been limited to the 10~(14)-10~(15) cm~(-3) range. Reproducing the work from the open literature and analyzing the films in more detail revealed that material with a high hole concentration can be obtained by co-evaporating CdTe and Te. However, analysis of these films indicated that the measured high carrier density is not because of doping of the CdTe base material but because of an integrated network of Te present as its own phase within the CdTe matrix.