Chemically deposited TiO2/CdS bilayer system for photoelectrochemical properties

In the present investigation, TiO₂, CdS and TiO₂/CdS bilayer system have been deposited on the fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate by chemical methods. Nanograined TiO₂ was deposited on FTO coated glass substrates by successive ionic layers adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. Chemical bath deposition (CBD) method was employed to deposit CdS thin film on pre-deposited TiO₂ film. A further study has been made for structural, surface morphological, optical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of FTO/TiO₂, FTO/CdS and FTO/TiO₂/CdS bilayers system. PEC behaviour of FTO/TiO₂/CdS bilayers was studied and compared with FTO/CdS single system. FTO/TiO₂/CdS bilayers system showed improved performance of PEC properties over individual FTO/CdS thin films.     

Structural and optical characterization of CdS and CdHgTe thin films for the fabrication of CdHgTe/CdS structure

This article presents the deposition and characterization of CdS and CdHgTe thin films for the fabrication of CdHgTe/CdS structure. The growth of CdS and CdHgTe thin films on FTO-coated conducting glass substrates have been performed by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and electrodeposition methods, respectively. The deposition conditions have been optimized for getting better quality layers of CdS and CdHgTe. The grown layers of both CdS and CdHgTe have been characterized by photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–vis spectrophotometer. Annealing effect of the deposited films has also been investigated. Finally the fabrication of CdHgTe/CdS structure has been performed and investigated by I–V characteristics. PEC, XRD, SEM and UV–vis spectrophotometer studies reveal that chemically deposited CdS layers are n-type with band gap values vary from 2.29 to 2.41 eV and cubic with (111) preferential orientation, and have spherical grain distributed over the surface. However, electrodeposited CdHgTe layers are p-type with band gap values varying from 1.50 to 1.53 eV and cubic with highly oriented CdHgTe crystallites with the (111) planes parallel to the substrate, and have uniform distribution of granular grains over the surface. The fabricated CdHgTe/CdS structure gave an open-circuit photovoltage and a short-circuit photocurrent of 510 mV and 13 mA/cm² respectively, under AM 1.5 illumination.     

Electrical,electrochemical and photo-electrochemical studies on the electrodeposited n-type semiconductor hexagonal crystalline CdS thin film on nickel substrate

Electrodeposited cadmium sulfide (CdS) on nickel substrate of new properties from aqueous solutions of Cd²⁺ and S₂O₃ ^2? at 313 K has been obtained using cyclic voltammetric and potentiostatic techniques. The mechanism of the electrode reactions for the electrodeposition of CdS has been evaluated and proposed. Energy dispersive X-ray florescence elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction investigations demonstrate that, the electrodeposited CdS is pure and hexagonal polycrystalline in nature, at our optimal conditions. Furthermore, the electrodeposited CdS is of n-type semiconductor was investigated and confirmed by Mott–Schotky test. Donor concentration (N_D) was determined to be 1.0 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3. In this research we discovered that, the electrodeposited semiconductor CdS on Ni substrate has low resistivity and magnetic properties (became as a strong magnet) at the mentioned conditions. The photoelectrochemical measurements of the electrodeposited CdS on nickel electrode had been investigated at room temperature and under illumination giving good results.     

Selenization of electrodeposited copper–indium alloy thin films for solar cell applications

Copper–Indium (Cu–In) alloys with sulfur and selenium have technological importance in the development of thin film solar cell technology. We have used potentiostatic electrochemical technique with three-electrode geometry for the deposition of Cu–In alloy thin films in an aqueous electrolyte. Cathodic voltammetry (CV) was thoroughly studied to optimize the electrodeposition parameters. The deposition potential for Cu–In alloy was found to be in the range ?0.70 to ?0.85 V versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Polycrystalline Cu_xIn_y thin films were electrodeposited from aqueous bath at room temperature and 45 °C. Effect of concentration of citric acid was extensively studied by CV measurements. The as-deposited Cu–In films were characterized with a range of characterization techniques to study the structural, morphological, compositional and electrical properties. Thin layers of Cu–In were selenized in a homemade tubular furnace at 400 ^°C, which reveals the formation of polycrystalline CuInSe₂ (CISe) thin films with tetragonal structure. The band gap of CISe thin film was estimated ~1.05 eV by optical absorption spectroscopy. Nearly stoichiometric CISe thin film, Cu = 25.25 %, In = 26.48 % and Se = 48.27 % was obtained after selenization. The linear behavior of current density–voltage (J–V) was observed for Cu–In alloy thin films whereas, the selenized Cu–In alloy films (CISe) possess rectifying properties.     

Study of Ar + O2 deposition pressures on properties of pulsed laser deposited CdTe thin films at high substrate temperature

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on fluorine–tin–oxide substrates under different pressures of argon (Ar) + oxygen (O₂) at high substrate temperature (T_s = 500 °C) was reported in this paper. In our work, the CdTe thin films were prepared successfully at high T_s by inputting Ar + O₂. As reported, PLD-CdTe thin films were almost prepared at low substrate temperatures (<300 °C) under vacuum conditions. The deposition of CdTe thin films at high T_s by PLD is rarely reported. The influence of the Ar + O₂ gas pressure on thickness, structural performance, surface morphology, optical property and band gap (E_g) had been investigated respectively by Ambios probe level meter, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–Vis spectrometer. Strong dependence of properties on the deposition pressures was revealed. In the range of Ar + O₂ gas pressure from 5 to 12 Torr, the deposition rate and the E_g of CdTe films vary in the range of 41.9–57.66 nm/min then to 35.26 nm/min and 1.51–1.54 eV then to 1.47 eV, respectively. The XRD diagrams showed that the as-deposited films were polycrystalline, and the main phase was cubic phase. However, the preferred orientation peak disappeared when the deposition pressure was higher. SEM images indicated that the CdTe film deposited at a higher deposition pressure was more uniform and had a higher compactness and a lower pinhole density. Furthermore, based on this thorough study, FTO/PLD-CdS (100 nm)/PLD-CdTe (~1.5 μm)/HgTe:Cu/Ag solar cells with an efficiency of 6.68 % and an area of 0.64 mm² were prepared successfully.     

Effect of thickness: a case study of electrodeposited CdS in CdS/CdTe based photovoltaic devices

The effect of electrodeposition technique on CdS thickness incorporated in CdS/CdTe-based solar cell has been investigated using all-electrodeposited g/FTO/n-CdS/n-CdTe/p-CdTe multilayer device configuration. The optical, morphological and structural properties of the electroplated CdS were investigated for CdS thicknesses between 50 and 200 nm. The observed CdS bandgap ranges between 2.42 and 2.46 eV. The morphological analysis shows full coverage of underlying g/FTO substrate for all CdS thicknesses except for the 50 nm which shows the presence of gap in-between grains. The structural analysis shows a preferred orientation of H(101) for all the CdS thicknesses except the 50 nm thick CdS which shows either a weak crystallinity or an amorphous nature. The fabricated solar cell shows a maximum conversion efficiency of ~11 % using CdS thickness ranging between 100 and 150 nm. These results show that although low CdS thickness is desirable for photovoltaic application, the effect of nucleation mechanism of deposition technique should be taken into consideration.     

Flexible cadmium telluride/cadmium sulphide thin film solar cells on mica substrate

Polycrystalline thin film II–VI compound semiconductors of cadmium sulfide (CdS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) are the leading materials for the development of cost effective and reliable photovoltaic systems. The two important properties of these materials are its nearness to the ideal band gap for photovoltaic conversion efficiency and they have high optical absorption coefficients. Usually thin film solar cells are made by hetero-junction of p-type CdTe with n-type CdS partner window layer. In this article, we have deposited CdTe films on mica substrates using thermal evaporation technique and CdTe/CdS junction were developed by depositing a thin layer of CdS on to the CdTe substrate from chemical bath deposition method. The device was characterized by current voltage and photocurrent spectroscopy technique prior to the deposition of the transparent conducting layer. The devices were annealed in air at different temperatures and found that the device annealed at 673?K had better photovoltaic parameters. The efficiency of a typical device under 50?mW?cm^?2 illumination was estimated as 4%.     

Enhancing the performance of electrodeposited CuInSe2 solar cells by suppressing secondary phases using sodium dodecyl sulfate

CuInSe₂ thin films were prepared on Mo-coated glass substrates using pulse electrodeposition with an aqueous solution containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as an additive. The effect of SDS on the electrochemistry mechanism that inhibits secondary phases (Cu_xSe_y) was examined using cyclic voltammetry, which indicated that SDS can inhibit the reduction of Cu²⁺ and H₂SeO₃ and prohibit the formation of secondary phases. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed that the cracks and roughness of CuInSe₂ films decreased considerably after adding SDS into the electrolyte. The suppression of secondary phases was also observed using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The optical bandgap values of the CuInSe₂ films were measured using a UV–vis–NIR spectrophotometer; the bandgap values of the films deposited in the electrolyte with 0 and 1 mM SDS were approximately 0.96 and 1.05 eV, respectively. As expected, based on these differences, the CuInSe₂ solar cell with the Al/AZO/i-ZnO/CdS/CuInSe₂/Mo/glass structure derived from precursor film deposited in an electrolyte containing SDS demonstrated greater efficiency (η = 2.51 %) than that of the cell derived from precursor film deposited in an electrolyte without SDS (η = 0.63 %).     

Close-space sublimation grown CdS window layers for CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cells

We report on the synthesis and characterization of CdS window layers grown by close-space sublimation (CSS) method for CdS/CdTe thin-film solar cells. Comparing with CdS window layers grown by other methods such as sputtering and chemical bath deposition, CSS-grown CdS layers can facilitate the consumption of CdS layers and suppress the diffusion of Te into CdS window layers. CSS-grown CdS layers exhibit much larger grains with faceted morphology. Due to large grains, CSS CdS layers must be grown thick enough to minimize the effects of pin-holes. The use of thicker CdS layer causes reduced blue response, resulting in current loss. Therefore, the thickness of CSS CdS window layer must be carefully optimized to achieve high efficiency. Our best small area dot cell using a CSS CdS window layer has exhibited a cell efficiency of about 14.2 % with an open circuit voltage (V_OC) of 806 mV, a short circuit current (J_SC) of 25.2 mA/cm², and a fill factor (FF) of 69.8 % under AM1.5 illumination and without an antireflection coating, slightly lower than our best reference cell using a sputtered CdS window layer (V_OC = 845 mV, J_SC = 24.5 mA/cm², FF = 76.8 %, and efficiency = 15.8 %).     

Properties of electrochemically deposited CdTe thin films: annealing effect

CdTe thin film have been deposited onto stainless steel and fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass substrates from aqueous acidic bath using electrodeposition technique. The different preparative parameters, such as deposition time, bath temperature, pH of the bath have been optimized by photoelectrochemical (PEC) technique get good quality photosensitive material. The deposited films are annealed at different temperature in presence of air. Annealing temperature is also optimized by PEC technique. The film annealed at 200 °C showed maximum photosensitivity. Different techniques have been used to characterize the as deposited and also annealed (at 200 °C) CdTe thin film. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed the polycrystalline nature and a significant increase in the XRD peak intensities is observed for the CdTe films after annealing. Optical absorption shows the presence of direct transition with band gap energy 1.64 eV and after annealing it decreases to 1.50 eV. Energy dispersive analysis by X-ray study for the as-deposited and annealed films showed nearly stoichiometric compound formation. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that spherically shaped grains are more uniformly distributed over the surface of the substrate for the annealed CdTe film. Photovoltaic output characteristics and spectral response of the annealed film have been carried. The fill factor and power conversion efficiency (η) of the cell are found to be 71 and 3.89 %.     

CuSbS2 thin films by heating Sb2S3/Cu layers for PV applications

In this work, we present the preparation of CuSbS₂ thin films of approximately 850 nm in thickness by heating glass/Sb₂S₃/Cu layers in low vacuum and their application in PV structures: Glass/SnO₂:F/n-CdS/p-CuSbS₂/C/Ag. The Sb₂S₃ thin films were chemically deposited from a solution containing SbCl₃ and Na₂S₂O₃ at 40 °C on well cleaned substrates. Copper thin films of 50 nm were thermally evaporated on Sb₂S₃ films of thickness ~600 and 800 nm and the glass/Sb₂S₃/Cu precursor layers were heated in vacuum at 300 and 350 °C for 1 h. Structural, morphological, optical and electrical characterizations of the annealed thin films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Atomic force microscopy, UV–Vis spectrometry and photoresponse measurements. Studies on identification and chemical state of the elements were done using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Photovoltaic devices were prepared using CuSbS₂ thin films as absorber and chemical bath deposited CdS thin films as window layer on FTO coated glass substrates. The photovoltaic parameters of the devices were evaluated from the corresponding J–V curves, yielding J_sc, V_oc and FF values in the range of 1.03–1.55 mA/cm², 250–294 mV and 0.46–0.57 respectively, performed using a solar simulator under illumination of AM1.5 radiation.     

Formation and properties of cadmium sulfide buffer layer for CIGS solar cells grown using hot plate bath deposition

In the present study, cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were deposited on different substrates [soda glass, fluoride doped tin oxide, and tin doped indium oxide (ITO) coated glass] by a hot plate method. To control the thickness and the reproducibility of the sample production, the thin films were coated at different temperatures and deposition times. The CdS thin films were heated at 400 °C in air and forming gas (FG) atmosphere to investigate the effect of the annealing temperatures. The thickness of the samples, measured by ellipsometry, could be controlled by the deposition time and temperature of the hot plate. The phase formation and structural properties of CdS thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, whereas the optical properties were obtained by UV–vis spectroscopy. A hexagonal crystal structure was observed for CdS thin films and the crystallinity improved upon annealing. The structural and optical properties of CdS thin films were also enhanced by annealing at 400 °C in FG atmosphere (95 % N₂, 5 % H₂). The optical band gap was changed from 2.25 to 2.40 eV at different annealing temperatures and gas atmospheres. A higher electrical conductivity, for the sample annealed at FG, was noticed. The samples deposited on ITO and annealed in FG atmosphere showed the best structural and electrical properties compared to the other samples. CdS thin films can be widely used for application as a buffer layer for copper–indium–gallium–selenide solar cells.     

Dependence of photovoltaic performance of solvothermally prepared CdS/CdTe solar cells on morphology and thickness of window and absorber layers

In the present work a new strategy for straightforward fabrication of CdS/CdTe solar cells, containing CdS nanowires and nanoparticles as a window layer and CdTe nanoparticles and microparticles as an absorber layer, are reported. CdS and CdTe nanostructures were synthesized by solvothermal method. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that highly pure and crystallized CdS nanowires and nanoparticles with hexagonal structure and CdTe nanoparticles with cubic structure were obtained. Atomic force microscope and field emission scanning electron microscope images showed that CdS nanowires with length of several μm and average diameter of 35 nm, CdS nanoparticles with average particle size of 32 nm and CdTe nanoparticles with average particle size of 43 nm, were uniformly coated on the substrate by the homemade formulated pastes. Based on ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra, the band gap energies of CdS nanowires, CdS nanoparticles and CdTe nanoparticles were calculated 2.80, 2.65 and 1.64 eV, respectively. It was found that, the photovoltaic performance of the solar cells depends on thickness of CdTe and CdS films, reaching a maximum at a specific value of 6 μm and 225 nm, respectively. For such cell made of CdS nanowires and CdTe nanoparticles the V_OC, J_SC, fill factor and power conversion efficiency were calculated 0.62 V, 6.82 mA/cm², 59.7 and 2.53 %, respectively. Moreover, photovoltaic characteristics of the solar cells were dependent on CdTe and CdS morphologies. CdS/CdTe solar cell made of CdTe and CdS nanoparticles had the highest cell efficiency (i.e., 2.73 %) amongst all fabricated solar cells. The presented strategy would open up new concept for fabrication of low-cost CdS/CdTe solar cells due to employment of a simple chemical route rather than the vapor phase methods.     

Lattice distortion and room-temperature ferroelectric properties of (Sm, Cr) co-doped BiFeO3 thin films

Pure BiFeO₃ (BFO) and Bi_0.85Sm_0.15Fe_0.97Cr_0.03O₃ (BSFCO) thin films were prepared on FTO/glass (SnO₂: F) substrates by using a chemical solution deposition method. The effects of (Sm, Cr) co-doping on the microstructure and ferroelectric properties of the BSFCO thin films were studied. The X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering spectra proved that the co-doped BSFCO thin film has a lattice distortion compared with the pure BFO thin film. The remnant polarization (2P _r) of the BSFCO thin film was 153.67 μC/cm² at 1 kHz in the applied electric field of 1,270 kV/cm. At an applied electric field of 100 kV/cm, the leakage current density of the co-doped BSFCO thin film (2.12 × 10^?6 A/cm²) was 3 orders lower than that of the pure BFO thin film (3.8 × 10^?3 A/cm²). The improved properties of the co-doped thin film could be attributed to lattices distortion, more grain boundaries, higher binding energy of Sm–O and the mixed-valence states of Cr³⁺ and Cr ⁶⁺.     

Structural and optical properties of CdS thin films prepared by chemical bath deposition at different ammonia concentration and S/Cd molar ratios

CdS thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition technique using the precursors of SC(NH₂)₂, CdCl₂, NH₄Cl, NH₃·H₂O and deionized water. The obtained thin films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectrometer, UV–VIS specrophotometry and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The morphology, structural and optical properties of CdS thin films were investigated as a function of ammonia concentration and S/Cd molar ratios in precursors. The results reveal that morphology of CdS films change from flake like into spherical particle like, crystal structure from wurtzite structure to zinc blende structure, S/Cd atom ratios in CdS thin films increase and optical band gap E _g decrease with increasing ammonia concentration in precursors. The room temperature photoluminescence spectrum of CdS thin films shows a strong peak at about 500 nm and a weak peak at about 675 nm.     

Optical and electrical characterization of CdS thin films

Thin CdS films have been grown by chemical bath (CdCl₂, thiourea, ammonia) deposition (CBD) on SnO₂ (TO)-coated glass substrate for use as window materials in CdS/CdTe solar cells. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed grains with an average size of 10 nm. The structure was predominantly hexagonal with a high density of stacking faults. The film crystallinity improved with annealing in air. Annealing in a CdCl₂ flux increased the grain size considerably and reduced the density of stacking faults. The optical transmission of the as-deposited films indicated a band gap energy of 2.41 eV. Annealing in air reduced the band gap by 0.1 eV. Annealing in CdCl₂ led to a sharper optical absorption edge that remained at 2.41 eV. Similar band gap values were obtained by photocurrent spectroscopy and electroabsorption spectroscopy (EEA) using an electrolyte contact. EEA spectra were broad for the as-deposited and air-annealed samples, but narrower for the CdCl₂-annealed films, reflecting the reduction in stacking fault density. Donor densities of ca. 10¹⁷ cm ^–3 were derived from the film/electrolyte junction capacitance.     

Structural, photoluminescence and optical properties of chemically deposited (Cd1−xBix)S thin films as a function of dopant concentration

In this study, (Cd_1?xBi_x)S thin films were successfully deposited on suitably cleaned glass substrate at 60 °C temperature, using the chemical bath deposition technique. After deposition, the films were also annealed at 400 °C for 2 min in air. The structural properties of the deposited films were characterized using X-ray diffraction and AFM. Formation of cubic structure with preferential orientation along the (111) plane was confirmed together with BiS second phase from structural analysis. The interplanar spacing, lattice constant, and crystallite size of (Cd_1?xBi_x)S thin films were calculated by the XRD. The crystallite size of the un-doped CdS thin films was found to be 7.84 nm, which increased to 11.1 nm with increasing Bi content from 0 to 10 %. The surface roughness of the films was measured by AFM studies. The photoluminescence spectra were observed at red shifted band edge peak with increasing doping concentration of Bi from 0 to 5 % in the un-doped CdS thin films. The optical properties of the films are estimated using optical absorption and transmission spectra in the range of 400–800 nm using UV–VIS spectrophotometer. The optical band gap energy of the films was found to be decreased from 2.44 to 2.23 eV with the Bi content being from 0 to 5 %. After annealing, the band gap of these films further decreased.     

Conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS back contact for CdTe solar cell

Two types of superstrate glass/ITO/CdS/CdTe PV structures were prepared by high vacuum evaporation technique with (i) activation of CdS layer and CdS/CdTe bi-layer structure step-by-step and (ii) activation of CdS/CdTe bi-layer structure. The activation was performed by annealing the structures with CdCl₂ in air at 400 °C for 15 min. Main conditions for CdS and CdTe thin films deposition and following treatment were selected from the literature data with the purpose to prepare and compare complete CdTe solar cells with standard p + Cu_xTe back contact and conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) back contact. Obtained layers and structures were characterized using the XRD, SEM and I-V methods. Both the methods of activation treatment give comparable results from the point of view PV properties of complete solar cells. It was found that highly conductive PEDOT:PSS intermediate layer can significantly improve the back contact characteristics of CdTe. However these hybrid structures need to be further optimized to compete successfully with conventional inorganic back contacts in complete CdTe solar cells.     

Structural distortion and enhanced ferroelectric properties of Tb and Cr co-doped BiFeO3 thin films

BiFeO₃ and Bi_0.92Tb_0.08Fe_1?xCr_xO₃ (BTFCO) thin films were successfully prepared on SnO₂: F (FTO)/glass substrates by a chemical solution deposition technique. The influences of Tb and Cr co-doping on the structure, the leakage current, charge defects, the dielectric and the ferroelectric properties of the BTFCO thin films were investigated systematically. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra results clearly reveal the structural distortion in the co-doped thin films. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show the absence of Fe²⁺ ions indicating the suppression of oxygen vacancies due to Tb and Cr co-doping. The electrical conduction mechanism of the BTFCO thin film is dominated by the Ohmic conduction in the low resistance state and trap-controlled space charged limited current in the high resistance state. With 8 %Tb and 1 %Cr co-doping, the film exhibits the superior ferroelectric (2P _r  = 105 μC/cm²) and dielectric properties. All the results show the film is very promising in the practical application.     

Electrodeposition and properties of nanocrystalline ZnO films prepared in the presence of anionic surfactant SDS and ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate

ZnO thin films were potentiostatically electrodeposited on transparent tin oxide conducting glass substrates at ?1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) in the presence of anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and hydrophobic ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium methylsulfate [bmim][CH₃SO₄]. X-ray diffraction (XRD) investigation confirm the formation of nanocrystalline and stoichiometric ZnO thin films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results reveal that the grain size of the deposited ZnO film is reduced from 85 to 28 nm when small amount of ionic liquid is added to the deposition bath. Photoluminescence study at room temperature shows a clear absorption edge in the ultra violet (UV) region confirming the high quality, nanocrystalline and stoichiometric nature of the deposited ZnO films.