Chemically deposited thin films of PbSe as an absorber component in solar cell structures

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 519; no. 21; pp. 7432 - 7437
• Main Authors: Barrios-Salgado, Enue, Nair, M.T.S., Nair, P.K., Zingaro, Ralph A.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 31-08-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Cadmium sulfides; Chemical deposition; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Density; Deposition; Dimethylselenourea; Electrical properties of specific thin films; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Natural energy; PbSe thin films; Photovoltaic conversion; Physics; Planes; Solar cells; Solar cells. Photoelectrochemical cells; Solar energy; Structure and morphology; thickness; Surface layer; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Texture; Thin film structure and morphology; Thin films; Solar cells; PbSe thin films; Dimethylselenourea; Chemical deposition; Cell structure; Electrical conductivity; Lead selenides; Gallium phosphide; Cadmium sulfide; Preferred orientation; Texture; AND circuit; Thin film; Solar cell; Antimony sulfides; Crystallites; Antimony selenides; Current density
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2010.12.226

PbSe thin films were prepared by chemical deposition using dimethylselenourea as a source of selenide ions. Depending on the duration (30
min to 4
h) and temperature (30–60
°C) of the deposition, and the substrate, the films show a high degree of preferred orientation for the (111) planes. The texture coefficients could be up to 5 for these planes. The crystallite diameters are in the 30–35
nm range, and optical bad gap, 0.4–0.7
eV. The electrical conductivity is p-type, 0.01–10 (Ω
cm)
−
1
. These films were deposited over CdS/Sb
2S
3 or CdS/Sb
2Se
3 solar cell structures as an additional absorber. In a CdS/Sb
2Se
3/PbSe cell, this addition increases the short circuit current density (
J
sc
) from 0.2
mA/cm
2 to 8.9
mA/cm
2 and conversion efficiency (
η) from 0.04% to 0.99%. In a CdS/Sb
2S
3/PbSe cell,
J
sc
is 5.91
mA/cm
2;
η, 0.98%; and open circuit voltage, 560
mV.