Comparative performance of CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells fabricated with electrochemically deposited CdTe from 2-electrode and 3-electrode set-ups

A comparative study of the performance of glass/FTO/CdS/CdTe/Au thin film solar cells was carried out for solar cells fabricated with CdTe electrochemically grown using 2-electrode and 3-electrode set-ups. Structural, optical and morphological characterization of the CdTe films prior to solar cell fabrication show that both electrode set-ups produce CdTe with similar X-ray diffraction patterns, optical absorption properties and surface morphologies. Current density-voltage characterization of resulting solar cells also shows that CdTe from both electrode systems produced solar cells with comparable conversion efficiencies. The open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current density and fill factor of cells from both systems were in the ranges of (410-630) mV, (15.2-33.0) mAcm(-2) and (0.32-0.49), respectively. These results indicate that the 2-electrode set-up can go a long way in reducing production cost by eliminating the reference electrode, which is also a potential impurity source, as well as ensuring a simplified deposition system.