Studies on electrochemically grown Cd-Fe-Se thin films

摘要

The electrodeposition of thin polycrystalline semiconducting Cd-Fe-Se (Cadmium Ferrous Selenide) films from aqueous acidic bath without any additives onto conducting SnO2 coated glass substrates were studied. The electrochemical behavior of Cd-Fe-Se was studied using cyclic voltammetry. The hexagonal(CdSe), tetragonal (alpha-FeSe) and orthorhombic-(FeSe2) structures at different cadmium sulfate (CdSO4) concentrations were exhibited by x-ray diffraction studies. The deposited films were found to be n-type using hot probe method. The surface morphology and film composition were analyzed by means of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-rays (EDAX), respectively. It is found that a maximum concentration of Cd2+ ions in the solution bath yields stoichiometric films with smooth surface. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar cells were constructed using n-(Cd-Fe-Se) in a Ferro-ferri cyanide redox couple and preliminary studies were carried out.