Abstract
Heating conditions of carbon electrodes for CdTe and the effect of impurities in the carbon paste on the characteristics of solar cells are investigated. The series resistance (Rs) and the conversion efficiency (ηi) of solar cells exhibit strong dependence on O2 concentration in the heating atmosphere. Addition of Cu to the carbon paste causes Rs and diode factor (n) to decrease, resulting in a remarkable improvement in ηi. As a result of preparation of low resistance contact electrode for CdTe, a cell with 0.78 cm2 active area which was made from 50 ppm Cu-added carbon paste showed Voc=0.754 V, Isc=0.022 A, FF=0.606 and ηi=12.8%.