X-ray line broadening and photoelectrochemical studies on CdSe thin films

Abstract

Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) thin films have been prepared on Indium doped tin oxide coated conducting glass (ITO) substrates at various deposition potential and solution pH values using potentiostatic cathodic electrodeposition technique. The deposited films are characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis by X-rays, optical absorption, and photoelectrochemical techniques, respectively. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the deposited films are found to exhibit hexagonal structure with preferential orientation along (002) plane. X-ray line profile analysis technique by the method of variance has been used to evaluate the microstructural parameters such as crystallite size, rms microstrain, dislocation density, and stacking fault probability. The variation of microstructural parameters with deposition potential, solution pH values, and annealing temperature are studied. Surface morphology and film composition are investigated by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive analysis by X-rays, respectively. Optical absorption analysis has been carried out to evaluate the optical parameters such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary dielectric constants, and packing density, respectively. Photoelectrochemical solar cells are constructed using as-deposited and annealed CdSe thin films as photocathode, and their power output characteristics are studied. The experimental observations are discussed in detail.