SiO2 sol-gel-coated conducting substrates for CuInSe2 electrodeposition

Glass-SnO2 samples, which are typical superstrates for thin-him solar cells, have been dipped in an appropriate sol-gel solution, and thus improved SiO2-glass-SnO2-SiO2 superstrates have been obtained with a higher transmission and a smoother surface, owing to the antireflective and levelling properties of these SiO2 films. The electrodeposition of the photovoltaic absorber CuInSe2 has been found homogeneous on SnO2 and heterogeneous on SiO2-coated SnO2. CuInSe2 grows only onto specific SiO2 points, and the residual substrate area remains CuInSe2 free. Optical characterization of the samples has been performed in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. Morphological analysis have been carried out using atomic force microscopy. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.