ARS - 2014

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    Electrochemical deposition and characterization of CdTe thin films
    (Book of Abstracts, Annual Research Symposium 2014, 2014) Kumarasinghe, K.D.M.S.P.K.; Chinthana, H.R.D.; de Silva, D.S.M.; Pathiratne, K.A.S.
    The semiconductor cadmium telluride (CdTe) has been widely used in applications of photovoltaics, sensors and detectors because of its direct band gap with high atomic number and electron density. With its narrow and direct band gap, stability with high absorption coefficient and other optoelectronic properties, it is the most ideal material for photovoltaic structures. A solar cell made of polycrystalline CdTe thin film is one of the most promising low cost materials for photovoltaic applications. CdTe was grown using different techniques such as physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, close space sublimation, liquid phase deposition and electrodeposition. Electrodeposition has demonstrated numerous advantages due to its simplicity, low cost and scalable manufacturing techniques. CdTe films have been electrodeposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates which have sheet resistance less than 20 ?/sq. A conventional three electrode cell was used for the deposition where a high purity graphite rod and saturated calomel electrode (SCE) were presented as the counter electrode and as the reference electrode respectively. Prior to the deposition of semiconductor layers FTO glass substrates were cleaned by a sequence of steps which included wiping out with detergent, ultrasonic washing in detergent solvents and then with deionised water followed by degreasing using acetone, methanol and isopropyl alcohol. CdTe thin films have been prepared by potentiostatic electrodeposition from acidic solution containing CdSO4, CdCl2 and TeO2. The deposition mechanism was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The thickness of the film can be controlled by the charge passed during the deposition, and it is possible to obtain p-type and n-type materials by changing the deposition potential. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell measurements were carried out in order to determine the electric conductivity type of electrodeposited layers.The PEC values were determined for both as deposited and heat treated materials.The electrodeposited thin films were characterized and investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The CdTe thin films were found to posses a bandgap of (1.44�0.02) eV, which is in a good accordance with those reported in the literature.
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    Eletrodeposition of CdS thin films using different sulfur sources for CdS/CdTe solar cells
    (Book of Abstracts, Annual Research Symposium 2014, 2014) Kumarasinghe, K.D.M.S.P.K.; Chinthana, H.R.D.; de Silva, D.S.M.; Pathiratne, K.A.S.
    Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) and Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) are two promising photovoltaic materials for thin film solar cells. CdS is a wide band gap n-type semiconductor, which can act as a window layer. The function of CdS is to allow energetic shorter wavelength photons to pass for the incidence at the hetero-interface with minimum absorption loss. The high optical band gap of CdS (~2.42 eV) assists this function. Among the different techniques, electrodeposition is one of the most suitable low cost methods, because the material can be deposited on the desired area of the substrate thus providing a film of reproducible quality. CdS films were prepared by electrodeposition technique from CdCl2 as cadmium precursor and Na2S2O3 or (NH4)2S2O3 as sulfur precursor in aqueous medium. For the electrodeposition of CdS three electrode system was employed using glass/FTO as the working electrode (cathode), saturated calomel electrode as a reference electrode and high purity graphite rod as a counter electrode (anode). Electrochemical deposition method through the influence of the concentration of precursor species, deposition potential, deposition temperature and pH offers excellent control over the properties of thin CdS layers using a potentiostatic approach. The changes in the morphology and properties of the films prepared from different sulfur sources were studied. The CdS layers grown using Na2S2O3 as sulfur precursor show thickness below 100 nm. Voc and Jsc obtained for initial solar cells with CdS films grown using Na2S2O3 as sulfur precursor had higher values compared to that of CdS semiconductor layers grown using (NH4)2S2O3. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell measurements were used to identify the electrical conductivity type of the layers and it was found that as grown and heat treated material layers were of n-type for both CdS layers which were grown using different sulfur sources. Upon heat treatment, the material layers show enhanced PEC signal indicating improved optical properties. The optical absorption measurements were carried out in order to evaluate the band gap of the resulting materials. All samples exhibit a band gap value of 2.42 0.08 eV without any noticeable differences as expected. Electrodeposited CdS films were characterized by XRD for determination of bulk structure and SEM for surface analysis.