INVESTIGATION OF A HETEROSTRUCTURE BASED ON CdTe / CdS

A thin-film solar cell is primarily composed of two semiconductor layers. The CdS layer serves as an n-type window material with an energy band gap of Eg = 2.42 eV, while a CdTe layer (the absorber) with an energy band gap of Eg = 1.45 eV is deposited on top. Cadmium sulfide (CdS) is a binary compound belonging to the II-VI group family; its thin films are widely used in various applications, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells, and various electronic and optoelectronic devices. Various methods have been employed for the deposition of CdS thin films, the details of which are discussed in the following chapter. As an n-type window material, CdS can be combined with CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) or CdTe to form an effective heterojunction.