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Title: Annealed single-crystal cadmium selenide electrodes in liquid junction solar cells

Journal Article · · J. Electrochem. Soc.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/1.2115433· OSTI ID:5637855

I-V characteristics, voltage dependence of the quantum efficiency, and spectral response were compared for annealed single-crystal CdSe photoanodes. Annealing in cadmium atmosphere improved the overall solar response considerably, while annealing under vacuum revealed a poor response for photon energies larger than 1.8 eV and a high quantum efficiency for near-bandgap energies. This behavior may be attributed to electron-hole pai generation from interbandgap states and a large density of minority carrier recombination centers near the crystal surface, owing to a high nonstoichiometry and a selenium layer at the surface. Annealing in selenium atmosphere resulted in very poor solar response caused by compensation. Simultaneous illumination of the electrodes with a He-Ne lase strongly enhanced the quantum efficiency for vacuum-annealed crystals for near-bandgap photons. We attribute this to electron trapping in the selenium-rich surface, with a resulting increase in depletion-layer width in the cadmium selenide.

Research Organization:
Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
OSTI ID:
5637855
Journal Information:
J. Electrochem. Soc.; (United States), Vol. 131:12
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English