Electrodeposition of CuInSe2 on citrate-containing electrolytes

M. A. FRONTINI; M. VAZQUEZ

Cancun, Mexico

Congreso; Materials Research Congress VI NACE Mexican section Corrosion Congress.; 2008

CuInSe2 (CISe) is a semiconductor with chalcopyrite-structure that has exceptional photovoltaic application perspectives [1]. Among the various methods for depositing CISe, electrochemical deposition from aqueous solutions is of particular interest because it is low-cost, technologically simple and allows working over large surface areas [2]. It has been shown that the film composition should be very close to that of CISe to obtain high efficiencies in thin film solar cells. This stochiometric relation between the Cu, In and Se atoms is directly related to the electrodeposition conditions and to the concentration of the various ions in the electrolyte[3]. This problem has been overcome by using complexing agents (such as citric acid) in order to shift the copper deposition potential in the negative direction bringing it closer to the In deposition potential [4, 5, 6]. The presence of citrate in the electrolyte makes the electrodeposition of CISe possible at pH values that are much less acidic than those used before. In this work, we investigate effect of using an slightly acidic electrolytic bath on the composition, morphology and electronic properties of CuInSe2 prepared by electrodeposition on top of dense and nanostructured TiO2.