Preliminary Studies on the Low-Cost Preparation of Chalcogenide Semiconductors from Solution Depositions

Low-cost solution deposition processes such as electrodeposition, chemical conversion and electrochemical conversion have been employed to prepare chalcogenides and chalcopyrites such as Cu-Se, Cu-Te, Cd-Se, Cd-Te, Cu-In-Se, and Cu-In-Te systems. The deposition processes were studied by cyclic voltammetry, rotating disk, rotating ring disk, X-ray diffraction, and surface analyses. The as-deposited films are amorphous and exhibited p-type photovoltaic activity. The electrodeposition of copper selenides on n-Si and n-CdX (X equals S, Se, Te) showed that heterojunctions were formed.