Structural and Electrical Properties of Electrodeposited Single Junction of Cuprous (I) Oxide-Copper

Abstract

Cuprous (I) oxide (Cu2O)-based solar cells were fabricated with the use of the electrodeposition technique at nanometre-scale, and the structural, morphological and electrical properties were investigated. The Cu2O layers were electrodeposited on crystalline and polycrystalline copper substrates. To complete the Cu2O/Cu(100) and Cu2O/Cu interfaces as the solar cells the top electrodes of silver paste were painted on the rear of Cu2O. The microscopic analysis exhibits uneven surface morphologies of a Cu2O film with the roughness of 92.5 nm, while the X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the layers are Cu2O-type polycrystalline structures with the thickness of 493 nm and the crystallite size of 69.8(6) nm. The theoretical analysis of the current–voltage curve was provided to determine the values of electrical parameters of the most efficient solar cell of Ag/Cu2O/Cu(100) and clearly indicate presence of two Schottky barriers at interfaces.