THIN FILM HETEROJUNCTION PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICES THAT UTILIZE CD RICH HG1-X CDX TE AND METHOD OF ELECTRODEPOSITION OF SAME

摘要

A method of electrodepositing a film of Hg1-xCdxTe on a conductive substrate with controlled Hg stoichiometry using a deposition bath with a reference electrode, said conductive substrate as a cathode, and one or more anodes, comprises the steps of:… providing as an electrolyte an acidic aqueous solution containing Cd<2><-> ions, HTeO+<+>2 ions and Hg<2><-> ions; and… adjusting the applied potential between said reference and cathode and the Hg<2><-> ion concentration in the solution so that a Hg1 xCdxTe compound with controlled stoichiometry is formed on said cathode surface. …In this way thin films of Hg1-xCdxTe with controlled x greater than 0.5 can be cathodically deposited on a thin CdS film over a conductive film of ITO deposited on a glass substrate. Depositing a conductive film on the electrodeposited Hg1-xCdxTe treated to provide a Terich surface for a good ohmic contact forms an improved solar cell.