On the nature of the long-term degradation of cadmium sulfide solar cells

The spectral response of the CuxS/CdS (x = 2, 1.95) heterojunction is calculated using a simple model and a comparison with published data is made. This comparison suggests that there is a degradation of the djurleite cell (x = 1.95) besides that due to the fact that djurleite has a smaller optical absorption constant than chalcocite. It is shown that the dislocation array necessary to accommodate the lattice mismatch between the djurleite and the cadmium sulfide could be a contributing factor in this degradation.