A Study on the Electrochemical Synthesis and Characterization of CuInSe 2 Thin Films on Mo and Si Substrates

Solar cells based on Cu(In,Ga)Se2 alloys as the absorber layer continue to attract attention in research and industry. In order to reduce production costs, several deposition techniques have been employed, one of which is the electrochemical way. The paper reports on the synthesis in a single bath of low cost electrochemically thin films of the ternary semiconductor compound CuInSe2 without the need to post-annealing treatments. We have studied the optimal parameters required for the electrodeposition of thin films on both molybdenum-coated glass (Mo) and silicon wafer substrates (Si). Metals salts of CuCl2, InCl3 and SeCl4 without added complexing agent were used to prepare close to stoichiometric composition of the chalcopyrite compound CuInSe2. Thin films were electrodeposited at two imposed potentials − 0.4 and − 1 V/SCE. In addition to the electrochemical characterization methods, we have characterized our films using the X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results indicate that the best films in terms of elemental composition, structure, crystallite size and morphology have been obtained with the imposed potential of − 1 V/SCE.