Electrochemical Deposition of Low Cost Cadmium Telluride Thin Films
Author : Shivali Chauhan
Abstract :
Solar cell constitutes a critical technology for overcoming global environmental and energy problems. Cadmium Telluride is a compound semiconductor with an ideal 1.45 eV bandgap for direct light to electricity conversion. The availability of higher quality CdTe based compounds and an impending energy crisis suggest examining this material further for terrestrial Solar cells. We have grown thin films of Cadmium Telluride on Tin Oxide coated glass substrates. Conducting Tin Oxide films were deposited on glass slides with the help of chemical vapour deposition technique. Films of Cadmium Telluride were deposited by electrodeposition. The electrochemical bath was made up of aqueous solutions of Cadmium Chloride and Mercuric Chloride. Acetonitrile was added to the bath for complexation. A platinum electrode was used as the counter electrode, a standardized saturated calomel electrode as the reference electrode and Tin Oxide coated glass acted as the working electrode. Films were deposited under stirred conditions of the bath. Bandgap of the films was also calculated with the help of Transmission Spectra.
Keywords :
Electrodeposition, CdTe, thin films, cyclic voltammograms, CH3CN
