A route to efficient optoelectronic devices using Cd1-xInxSe thin films

Abstract

In the present work, synthesis of Cd1-xInxSe (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) thin films was carried out via a novel chemical growth process. The studies on colorimetric, morphological, electrical properties have been carried out to observe the effect of indium doping into CdSe host. The colorimetric studies supported the physical observations on the change of sample colour. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the mixture of hexagonal and tetragonal crystal structures in the as-grown thin films. Doping of In was found to improve the surface morphology and grain structure. The surface topography was assessed via studying different topography parameters. Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) was used to map local conductance through the detection of charge, potential distribution, and doping profile. Informations on the type of semiconductor, carrier concentration and carrier mobility were studied by performing Hall measurements. The electrochemical photovoltaic (EPV) cells were then fabricated with CdSe and Cd1−xInxSe as the photoelectrodes with a sulfide/polysulfide (0.25 M) redox couple and investigated through the J–V and CV characteristics in dark, power output characteristics and various other photoresponsive characteristics. The boost in conversion efficiency from 0.48% to 1.04% was observed with increased composition parameter, x.