Influence of CdS thin films growth related with the substrate properties and conditions used on CBD technique

CdS polycrystalline thin films have been used as window layer in solar cells; the quality of the CdS-partner plays an important role in the photovoltaic device performance. CdS thin films were deposited using Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) and photoassisted-CBD technique. The SnO2: F substrates used in this work were treated with HCl (0.1M) and some of them were annealed in different atmospheres (Ar and O-2). The properties of CdS thin films were influenced by the HCl treatment, position and the movement of substrates inside the reactor glass. CdS samples were deposited in areas of 4 cm(2), 50 cm(2) and 100 cm(2); obtaining thin films with thickness of 35-300 nm with good crystalline quality and uniform morphology. All samples presented optical transmittance around of 85-91 % and average gap energy of 2.5 eV. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.