Growth and characterization of Zn _xCd _1-xS films prepared by using chemical bath deposition for photovoltaic devices

The structural, optical and electrical properties of Zn _xCd _1-xS films deposited by using chemical bath deposition (CBD), which is a very attractive method for low-cost and large-area solar cells, are presented. Especially, in order to more effectively control the zinc component of the films, we mixed zinc acetate in a reaction solution after preheating. The properties of the CdS thin films were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ultraviolet (UV)- spectrophotometer. The pH of the reaction solution was found to decrease with increasing concentration of zinc acetate. As the proportion of zinc acetate in the mixture was increased, the transmittance was improved and the optical band gap was increased.