Abstract
Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films were grown on borosilicate glass substrates using the RF magnetron sputtering method. In this study, CdSe thin film was deposited at a deposition temperature in the range of 25 °C to 400 °C. The influence of deposition or growth temperature on the structural, morphological, and opto-electrical properties of CdSe films was investigated elaborately to achieve a good-quality window layer for solar-cell applications. The crystal structure, surface morphology, and opto-electrical characteristics of sputtered CdSe films were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV–Vis spectrophotometry, and Hall effect measurement, respectively. The XRD results revealed the polycrystalline nature of CdSe, with a hexagonal structure having a strong preferential orientation toward the (002) plane. As evident from the FESEM images, the average grain size and surface morphology of the films were dependent on deposition temperatures. The carrier concentration was obtained as 1014 cm−3. The band gap in the range of 1.65–1.79 eV was found. The explored results suggested that sputtered CdSe thin film deposited at 300 °C has the potential to be used as a window layer in solar cells.
Highlights
The Cadmium selenide (CdSe) film deposited at 300 ◦ C showed the highest intensity, with its grain size among the largest, ensuring better crystallinity than the other films
All of the samples were highly transparent in the near-infrared region, and the energy band gap attained in our study was within the range of 1.65–1.79 eV
The CdSe thin film grown at 400 ◦ C exhibited the highest mobility, the particles changed from spheres to irregular geometric objects, which caused the film to become non-uniform
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. CdS thin film has a band gap of 2.42 eV, which causes significant optical absorption in the blue region and reduces the current (Jsc) by lowering quantum efficiency [9]. Utilization of CdSe thin films as the window layer in CdTe solar cells has been reported. The narrow band gap close to the CdSe/CdTe interface improves device performance. Though CdSe has a narrower band gap (~1.7 eV) than CdS (2.4 eV), the development of current collection in the short-wavelength regions can still be attained by optimizing the thickness of the CdSe layer [17]. Electrical properties for CdSe thin-film window layers are very important in enhancing the efficiency of CdTe solar cells, but very little research has been performed in this area. The micro-structural and opto-electrical characteristics were analyzed and optimized for CdSe thin films as a possible window layer in solar-cell applications
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