Cadmium Telluride and Chalcogenide Thin Films for Photovoltaics
This community focuses on the synthesis, structural characterization, and electrical optimization of cadmium telluride, cadmium sulfide, and related chalcogenide thin films, primarily for use in solar cells and photodetectors.
The work centers on depositing these semiconductors via chemical bath deposition, spray pyrolysis, and electrodeposition to create absorber layers and buffer layers. Researchers frequently investigate the influence of doping agents, such as arsenic, phosphorus, and manganese, on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the films. A significant portion of the literature examines the morphological and optical characteristics of cadmium sulfide and cadmium telluride layers, often in the context of heterojunction solar cells and radiation detectors. The recurring focus is on tuning bandgap properties and reducing defect densities to improve device performance.
The largest share of this community's output is found in tellurium research, accounting for 21.7% of all tellurium research tracked, and 13,345 papers here. Cadmium research follows with 10.2% of all cadmium research and 16,225 papers.
There are 27,309 papers in this community, published most frequently in the Journal of Crystal Growth, Journal of Applied Physics, and Applied Physics Letters.
Recent work continues to address efficiency improvements in CdTe solar cells, including studies on phosphorus doping to reduce anion vacancy disorder and simulations of thermal loss reduction using hydrogel coatings.