Porous alumina templates and nanostructured CdS for thin film solar cell applications

Nanostructured CdS was grown by electrodeposition of cadmium sulfide inside a porous alumina template. Uniform pore size and spacing in the template was achieved when the starting material for the template was aluminum foil. Typical pore size was 45 nm. Nanostructured CdS was also deposited by electrodeposition on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass and by solution growth on ITO-coated glass. Schottky diodes were formed on nanocrystalline CdS and the analysis of their current–voltage characteristics yielded a diode ideality factor (n) of 2.6 and a reverse saturation current density ( J S ) of 1.00×10−5 A/cm2. Corresponding values for the Schottky diode on polycrystalline CdS were 3.4 and 1.93×10−6 A/cm2.