Preparation and properties of electrodeposited indium tin oxide/SnO2/CdTe and indium tin oxide/SnO2/CdS/CdTe solar cells

• Published in: Journal of applied physics 1993-01, Vol.73 (2), p.782-786
• Main Authors: DAS, S. K, MORRIS, G. C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Natural energy; Photovoltaic conversion; Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells; Solar energy
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/1.353338

Cadmium telluride-based solar cells have been prepared as indium tin oxide (ITO)/SnO2/CdTe and indium tin oxide/SnO2/CdS/CdTe structures where CdS and CdTe were prepared by an electrodeposition technique. Both open circuit voltage and short circuit current of ITO/SnO2/CdTe cells were higher than that of ITO/SnO2/CdS/CdTe cells. The spectral response measurement showed that the current collection was higher in the ITO/SnO2/CdTe cell relative to the ITO/SnO2/CdS/CdTe cell. Current-voltage temperature measurements indicated that the junction transport could be controlled by recombination or thermally assisted tunneling in the ITO/SnO2/CdTe cell, whereas tunneling could be the dominant junction transport mechanism in the ITO/SnO2/CdS/CdTe cell. Activation energies of ITO/SnO2/CdTe and ITO/SnO2/CdS/CdTe cells were 0.60 and 0.76 eV, respectively. The values of the built-in potential, Vbi calculated from the measurement of open circuit voltage with temperature were 1.41 and 1.5 eV for ITO/SnO2/CdTe and ITO/SnO2/CdS/CdTe cells, respectively, whereas from Mott–Schottky plots they were 1.1 and 0.95 eV, respectively.