Abstract
Recent achievements in the development of polycrystalline thin film solar cells are reviewed. Properties of compound semiconductors are analyzed with respect to solar cell applications and compared with the other commonly used photovoltaic materials. Cu(In,Ga)Se2 and CdTe, presently the main candidates, are discussed in detail. Basic problems such as the influence of defects and impurities on electronic properties of the semiconductors and limitations of performance due to the polycrystalline structure of the film are investigated. Advantageous properties of Chalcogenide semiconductors, e.g. low grain boundary and surface recombination, and the favorable interaction of oxygen with the surface of these compounds are pointed out. Wide bandgap semiconductors for the use in heterojunctions are selected. Key problems of heterojunction solar cells such as energy band alignments, lattice match, chemical stability of the interface, and recombination of minority carriers in the bulk and at the interface are considered. The different technological approaches for thin film deposition of compound semiconductors for solar cells are reviewed in respect to scalability and thin film quality and hence expected solar cell performance.
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