Electrodeposition of Device-Quality Semiconductor Materials. Final Report, April 1, 1980-May 31, 1981

摘要

Work designed to evaluate low-temperature electrodeposition as a means of producing high-quality CdTe films suitable for use in solid-state and electrochemical solar cells is described. Two approaches were evaluated: (1) alloy plating, which involves codeposition of Cd and Te; and (2) compound plating, which involves electrogeneration of Te exp 2- species that react with Cd exp 2+ in solution to form CdTe. The ratio of Te to Cd in deposits obtained by alloy plating was shown to vary strongly with electrode potential, making stoichiometric control extremely difficult. By use of a polarographic technique developed under this program, which permits determination of both the concentrations and valencies of Cd and Te in CdTe deposits, the alloy plating approach was shown, at least for the system investigated, to yield as-plated deposits generally having small amounts of CdTe dispersed in a matrix of either Cd or Te metal, depending on the deposition potential. (ERA citation 07:006993)