Title :
Characterization of electro-deposited CuO as a low-cost material for high-efficiency solar cells
Author :
Wang, L. ; Han, K. ; Song, G. ; Yang, X. ; Tao, M.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mater. Sci., Texas Univ., Arlington, TX
Abstract :
Cupric oxide (CuO) with a reported band-gap of 1.2-1.9 eV is considered as a promising material for photovoltaic applications. In this work, CuO films were electro-deposited on substrates with different surface cleaning treatments. Transmittance spectrum for electro-deposited CuO shows a band-gap of 1.32 eV. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that films deposited at higher bath temperature are polycrystalline instead of amorphous at lower bath temperature. Current-voltage characterization is performed on CuO Schottky diodes to examine the effect of different surface cleaning treatments. The results indicate improvements in film quality for samples deposited on electrochemically etched Cu substrates
Keywords :
Schottky diodes; copper compounds; electrodeposits; scanning electron microscopy; semiconductor materials; semiconductor thin films; solar cells; surface cleaning; CuO; Schottky diodes; band-gap; cupric oxide; current-voltage characterization; electrochemically etched substrates; electrodeposition; low-cost material; photovoltaic applications; scanning electron microscopy; solar cells; surface cleaning treatments; transmittance spectrum; Amorphous materials; Photonic band gap; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic systems; Scanning electron microscopy; Solar power generation; Substrates; Surface cleaning; Surface treatment; Temperature;
Conference_Titel :
Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, Conference Record of the 2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on
Conference_Location :
Waikoloa, HI
Print_ISBN :
1-4244-0017-1
Electronic_ISBN :
1-4244-0017-1
DOI :
10.1109/WCPEC.2006.279381
