Electrochemical Deposition of CdTe Semiconductor Thin Films for Solar Cell Application Using Two-Electrode and Three-Electrode Configurations: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Thin films of CdTe semiconductor were electrochemically deposited using two-electrode and three-electrode configurations in potentiostatic mode for comparison. Cadmium sulphate and tellurium dioxide were used as cadmium and tellurium sources, respectively. The layers obtained using both configurations exhibit similar structural, optical, and electrical properties with no specific dependence on any particular electrode configuration used. These results indicate that electrochemical deposition (electrodeposition) of CdTe and semiconductors in general can equally be carried out using two-electrode system as well as the conventional three-electrode system without compromising the essential qualities of the materials produced. The results also highlight the advantages of the two-electrode configuration in process simplification, cost reduction, and removal of a possible impurity source in the growth system, especially as the reference electrode ages.

Electroplating of CdTe Thin Films from Cadmium Sulphate Precursor and Comparison of Layers Grown by 3-Electrode and 2-Electrode Systems

“…Reference electrodes usually have a saturated KCl solution outer jacket in commercially available products with a possibility of leaking K + into the electrolyte. The preliminary studies on the comparison of 3E and 2E systems were published recently by Echendu et al [22]. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study in order to confirm the conclusions arrived at the initial stages.…”

Fluorine-induced improvement of structural and optical properties of CdTe thin films for solar cell efficiency enhancement

“…The pH of the electrolyte was adjusted to 2.0±0.02 and CdTe layers were electrodeposited at a cathodic voltage of 2038 mV and temperature of 85.0±2.0°C. Full details of the electrodeposition of CdTe thin films using two-electrode system is reported in recent publications [23,24]. Optical characterisation of all the annealed and as-deposited CdTe samples was carried out using a Cary 50 UV-VIS Spectrophotometer (Varian, Australia) by recording the normalincidence transmittance spectra in the photon wavelength range of (750 -1000) nm.…”

Progress in development of graded bandgap thin film solar cells with electroplated materials

“…It should be noted that the main difference in setup between the 3E and 2E electrodeposition configuration is the incorporation of a reference electrode in the 3E configuration in addition to the counter electrode (CE) and working electrode (WE) as utilised in the 2E configuration. The effect of electroplating configuration on the electrodeposited semiconductor layer properties have been published by the author's group elsewhere [15]. With major advantages such as low setup cost, possibility of depositing n-, i-, and p-type semiconductor from the same electroplating setup by deposition voltage variation, self-purification, bandgap engineering, proven scalability and manufacturability [16], [17], electrodeposition is suitable for the growth of multilayer graded bandgap device structure.…”