Post growth process for flexible CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells with high specific power.
We demonstrated a flexible CdS/CdTe thin film solar cell with high specific power of approximately 254 W/kg. A flexible and ultra light weight CdS/CdTe cell treated with pre NP etch process exhibited high conversion efficiency of 13.56% in superstrate configuration. Morphological, structural and optical changes of CdS/CdTe thin films were characterized when pre NP etch step was incorporated to the conventional post deposition process. Improvement of photovoltaic parameters can be attributed to the removal of the oxide and the formation of Te rich layer, which benefit the activation process. Pre NP etched cell maintained their flexibility and performance under the repeated tensile strain of 0.13% Our method can pave a way for manufacturing flexible CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells with high specific power for mobile and aerospace applications.
Optics express