TITLE:
Heterostructure Solar Cells Based on Sol-Gel Deposited SnO2 and Electrochemically Deposited Cu2O
AUTHORS:
Akito Fukuda, Masaya Ichimura
KEYWORDS:
Sol-Gel Deposition; Electrochemical Deposition; Cu2O; SnO2; Solar Cell
JOURNAL NAME:
Materials Sciences and Applications,
Vol.4 No.6A,
June
13,
2013
ABSTRACT: To fabricate a heterostructure solar cell using environmentally friendly materials and low cost techniques, tin oxide (SnO2) and cuprous oxide (Cu2O) were deposited by the sol-gel method and the electrochemical deposition, respectively. The SnO2 films were deposited from a SnCl2 solution containing ethanol and acetic acid. The Cu2O films were deposited using a galvanostatic method from an aqueous bath containing CuSO4 and lactic acid at a temperature of 40°C. The Cu2O/SnO2 heterostructure solar cells showed rectification and photovoltaic properties, and the best cell showed a conversion efficiency of 6.6 × 10－2 % with an open-circuit voltage of 0.29 V, a short-circuit current of 0.58 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 0.39.