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Enhanced photoresponse of Cu(In,Ga)Se2/CdS heterojunction fabricated using economical non-vacuum methods

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Abstract

The present study demonstrates the fabrication of a CIGS/CdS heterojunction with enhanced photoelectrochemical performance using low-cost non-vacuum methods. A simplified economical pulse electrodeposition technique, with a two-electrode system in an additive-free electrolyte, has been used for the preparation of chalcopyrite Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin-films avoiding the selenization process and CdS subsequently chemical bath deposited onto these CIGS films. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of bare CIGS and the CIGS/CdS heterojunction has been investigated in conventional Na2SO4 electrolyte under chopped solar simulated light. The PEC analysis reveals nearly twenty-fold increase in the photoresponse of the CIGS/CdS heterojunction compared to bare CIGS films. The CIGS/CdS junction has also been tested in a PEC cell using a novel sulphide/sulphite electrolyte for the first time and found to yield further enhancement in photocurrent density with exceptional stability. Thus, apart from fabrication of an efficient CIGS/CdS heterojunction economically, the present study proposes use of a novel electrolyte yielding superior performance and showing potential for commercialization of CIGS devices and their use in photoelectrochemical cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Solar Energy Materials, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Balapur Post, Hyderabad, 500005, Telangana, India

    Sreekanth Mandati, Bulusu V. Sarada & Shrikant V. Joshi

  2. Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, Yeddumailaram, Hyderabad, 502205, Telangana, India

    Sreekanth Mandati & Suhash R. Dey

Authors
  1. Sreekanth Mandati
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  2. Bulusu V. Sarada
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  3. Suhash R. Dey
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  4. Shrikant V. Joshi
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Correspondence to Bulusu V. Sarada or Suhash R. Dey.

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Mandati, S., Sarada, B.V., Dey, S.R. et al. Enhanced photoresponse of Cu(In,Ga)Se2/CdS heterojunction fabricated using economical non-vacuum methods. Electron. Mater. Lett. 11, 618–624 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-014-4387-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-014-4387-9

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