Fabrication of CdTe/Si heterojunction solar cell

A simple cost effective method is preferred to grow nanoparticles of CdTe. Nanoparticles of CdTe are grown by simple chemical reduction route using EDA as capping agent and Sodium Borohydride as reducing agent. The grown nanoparticles are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction, optical absorption, and photoluminescence study. From optical absorption study, the band-gap was found to be 2.46 eV. From TEM study, the average particle size was found to be within 8-12 nm which confirms the formation of CdTe nanoparticles. Pl spectra indicate the luminescence from surface states at 2.01 eV, which is less compared to the increased band-gap of 2.46 eV. The grown nanoparticles are used to fabricate a heterojunction of CdTe on P-Si by a spin coating technique for solar cell fabrication in a cost effective way. I-V characteristics of the grown heterojunction in dark as well as under light are measured. Efficiency and fill-factor of the device are estimated.