Influence of a Boron Precursor on the Growth and Optoelectronic Properties of Electrodeposited Zinc Oxide Thin Film.
Highly transparent and conductive materials are required for many industrial applications. One of the interesting features of ZnO is the possibility to dope it using different elements, hence improving its conductivity. Results concerning the zinc oxide thin films electrodeposited in a zinc perchlorate medium containing a boron precursor are presented in this study. The addition of boron to the electrolyte leads to significant effects on the morphology and crystalline structure as well as an evolution of the optical properties of the material. Varying the concentration of boric acid from 0 to 15 mM strongly improves the compactness of the deposit and increases the band gap from 3.33 to 3.45 eV. Investigations were also conducted to estimate and determine the influence of boric acid on the electrical properties of the ZnO layers. As a result, no doping effect effect by boron was demonstrated. However, the role of boric acid on the material quality has also been proven and discussed. Boric acid strongly contributes to the growth of high quality electrodeposited zinc oxide. The high doping level of the film can be attributed to the perchlorate ions introduced in the bath. Finally, a ZnO layer electrodeposited in a boron rich electrolyte was tested as front contact of a Cu(In, Ga)(S, Se)2 based solar cell. An efficiency of 12.5% was measured with a quite high fill factor (>70%) which confirms the high conductivity of the ZnO thin film.
EDF R&D , 6 quai Watier, 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.|IRDEP, Institute of Research and Development for Photovoltaic Energy, UMR 7174 CNRS-EDF-Chimie ParisTech , 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.
Fabien
F
Tsin
CNRS , 6 quai Watier, 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.|IRDEP, Institute of Research and Development for Photovoltaic Energy, UMR 7174 CNRS-EDF-Chimie ParisTech , 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.
Angélica
A
Thomere
CNRS , 6 quai Watier, 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.|IRDEP, Institute of Research and Development for Photovoltaic Energy, UMR 7174 CNRS-EDF-Chimie ParisTech , 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.
Arthur Le
AL
Bris
LPN, Laboratory for Photonics and Nanostructures, UPR 20 CNRS , Route de Nozay, 91460 Marcoussis, France.|IPVF , 8 rue de la Renaissance, 92160 Antony, France.
Stéphane
S
Collin
CNRS , 6 quai Watier, 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.|IRDEP, Institute of Research and Development for Photovoltaic Energy, UMR 7174 CNRS-EDF-Chimie ParisTech , 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.|IPVF , 8 rue de la Renaissance, 92160 Antony, France.
Daniel
D
Lincot
EDF R&D , 6 quai Watier, 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.|IRDEP, Institute of Research and Development for Photovoltaic Energy, UMR 7174 CNRS-EDF-Chimie ParisTech , 78401 Chatou Cedex, France.|IPVF , 8 rue de la Renaissance, 92160 Antony, France.
Jean
J
Rousset
X-ray diffraction; boric acid; optical properties; photoluminescence; semiconductor; zinc oxide