Fabrication of CdTe Nanorod Arrays Over Large Area Through Patterned Electrodeposition for Efficient Solar Energy Conversion
Abstract
Development of solar energy conversion devices based on nano-fabrication techniques is the key to next generation photovoltaics. However, low throughput and complicated production procedures have limited their emergence at commercially relevant scales. in this article we report an inexpensive, high-throughput, versatile and reproducible technique for fabrication of vertically aligned CdTe nanorod arrays with coverage over a significantly large area through selective electrodeposition (PatED) on lithographically patterned nanoelectrodes. the nanoelectrodes are patterned using the Nanosphere Photolithography (NPL) technique which uses size-controlled polystyrene spheres as microlenses to focus light into photonic jets on an underlying photoresist. the nanorod diameter and pitch could be controlled through optimization of the NPL process. This generalized technique provides a way for production of wafer-scale nanorod arrays on conducting surfaces for solar energy conversion. Observed photocurrent density from the nanorod device is more than two times higher than thin films fabricated under similar conditions, in spite of actual coverage for the nanorod device being ~12% compared to the thin film. in addition to improved photocurrent generation, reduced material consumption due to enhanced effectiveness at lower coverage and simplicity of the fabrication technique makes this process ideal for the cost-effective production of high efficiency solar cells at commercial scale.
Recommended Citation
W. P. Liyanage et al., "Fabrication of CdTe Nanorod Arrays Over Large Area Through Patterned Electrodeposition for Efficient Solar Energy Conversion," Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, vol. 133, pp. 260 - 267, Elsevier, Feb 2015.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2014.11.022
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Second Department
Chemistry
Keywords and Phrases
Cadmium telluride; Cost effectiveness; Electrodeposition; Energy conversion; Fabrication; Nanorods; Photoresists; Solar cells; Solar energy; Solar power generation; Thin films; Throughput; CdTe; High-efficiency solar cells; Nano-rod arrays; Patterned electrodepositions; Patterned growth; Photovoltaic; Reduced material consumption; Selective electrodeposition; Nanostructured materials
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0927-0248
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2015 Elsevier, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Feb 2015
