Search for the Major Chlorine-Related Defects in CdTe:Cl

Abstract

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the effect of chlorine-related defects on the CdTe electric properties is important both for obtaining high resistivity CdTe-based detectors and for high efficiency CdTe-based thin-film solar cells. The actual mechanism of the effect of Cl on electric properties of CdTe is not clear and different sometimes contradictory hypotheses appear. For example ClTeVCd shallow acceptor complex defect was proposed both as a reason of increased carrier concentration in CdTe thin film and also as a reason of high resistivity of CdTe:Cl thin films. In the present work we are trying to clarify the effect of Cl on CdTe electric properties and to find the reason of high resistivity of CdTe:Cl crystals using first principles calculations and defect chemistry modeling. For the first time we are trying to develop a model capable to describe experimental data on both high temperature and room temperature conductivity of CdTe:Cl.