Chemical bath deposition of thin film cadmium selenide for photoelectrochemical cells
Chemical bath deposition provides an attractive, low cost method of producing cadmium chalcogenide thin films. Intimate contact between the bath solution and the substrate material permits uniform deposition on substrates of complex geometry, presently difficult with spray pyrolysis, vacuum evaporation, or electrodeposition techniques. For CdSe, rigorous control of deposition conditions promotes the formation of a hexagonal, specularly reflecting deposit rather than a less desirable sphalerite (cubic) powdery deposit. Scanning electron microscopy reveals a small grained layered plate morphology similar to that produced by the evaporation method. Specularly reflecting CdSe films can be formed over large area substrates at a thickness optimal for their use as photoelectrochemical cells (PEC). Employing polysulfide as the redox couple, conversion efficiencies as high as 6.8% have been achieved in the authors' laboratory for these films using a tungstenhalogen white light source.
- Research Organization:
- EIC Laboratories, Incorporated, Newton, Massachusetts
- OSTI ID:
- 5425532
- Journal Information:
- J. Electrochem. Soc.; (United States), Vol. 130:2
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CADMIUM SELENIDES
CHEMICAL COATING
PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTRODES
DEPOSITS
HALOGENS
LIGHT SOURCES
MORPHOLOGY
REDOX POTENTIAL
REFLECTIVITY
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
TUNGSTEN
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CHALCOGENIDES
DEPOSITION
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
METALS
MICROSCOPY
NONMETALS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIATION SOURCES
SELENIDES
SELENIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SURFACE COATING
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
140505* - Solar Energy Conversion- Photochemical
Photobiological
& Thermochemical Conversion- (1980-)
360601 - Other Materials- Preparation & Manufacture