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Wet-Chemical Synthesis of Thin-Film Solar Cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

R.P Raffaelle
Affiliation:
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623
W. Junek
Affiliation:
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623
J. Gorse
Affiliation:
Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH 44017
T. Thompson
Affiliation:
Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH 44017
J.D Harris
Affiliation:
Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
J. Cowen
Affiliation:
Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
D. Hehemann
Affiliation:
Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242
G. Rybicki
Affiliation:
NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH 44135
A.F. Hepp
Affiliation:
NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH 44135
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Abstract

We have been working on the development of wet-chemical processing methods that can be used to create thin film photovoltaic solar cells. Electrochemically deposition methods have been used to produce copper indium diselenide (CIS) thin films on molybdenum coated polymer substrates. CIS has an extremely high optical absorption coefficient, excellent radiation resistance, and good electrical conductivity and thus has proved to be an ideal absorber material for thin film solar cells. A series of compositionally different p-type CIS films were produced by using different electrochemical deposition potentials. Cadmium sulfide (CdS) window layers were deposited directly on these CIS films using a chemical bath process. CdS is a naturally ntype wide-bandgap semiconductor which has good transparency and is well lattice-matched to CIS. Zinc oxide thin films were grown by electrochemical deposition directly on the CdS films. ZnO is a transparent and conductive thin film that serves as the top contact of the cells. The structural and elemental properties of the individual ZnO, CdS and CIS films were characterized by x-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The electrical behavior of the CdS on CIS junctions was determined using current versus voltage measurements. We will discuss the performance of these devices based on the physical properties of the component films and the processing methods employed in their fabrication.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

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