Abstracts Book - IMRC 2018

• SB4-P004
CADMIUM OXIDE THIN FILMS FOR APPLICATIONS AS A WINDOW
LAYER SYNTHESIZED BY A THERMAL TREATMENT ON CADMIUM
CARBONATE PRECURSOR THIN FILMS
Kassim Jose Mendoza Peña 1 , José Antonio Heredia Cancino 2 , Ramón Ochoa Landín 1 , Santos
Jesús Castillo 2 , Mario Enrique Alvarez Ramos 1
1
Universidad de Sonora, Departamento de Física, Mexico. 2 Universidad de Sonora,
Departamento de Investigación en Física, Mexico.
In order to find different materials with similar or better properties than the
materials currently used, our research group developed Cadmium Oxide (CdO)
thin films. The CdO thin films can be used as a window layer for Cadmium
Telluride (CdTe) or Cadmium Selenide (CdSe) solar cells but also due to their high
porosity they can be also used for catalysis purposes. The CdO thin films were
produced by thermal treatment over Cadmium Carbonate (CdCO3) precursor
thin films previously produced by chemical bath deposition method. The
treatment was performed in several temperatures near of 500°C (± 200°C) that
is de decomposition temperature of CdCO3. This decomposition process was
carried out in presence of oxygen flow to favor the conversion of CdCO3 into
CdO. In order to confirm the production of CdO, several characterizations were
performed: XRD, SEM, EDS, FTIR Spectroscopy, Raman Dispersion and UV-Vis
Absorption Spectroscopy. The results of SEM and EDS analysis revealed a
uniform surface with high porosity and persistence of few CdCO3 remains in the
CdO film. The results discussed above are congruent with the FTIR and Raman
characterizations that revealed de diminution and frequency shift of the bands
related with the C=O double bond present in CdCO3 but not in CdO. The XRD
diffraction results revealed a Rock Salt crystalline structure while the band gap
was obtained the absorption spectrum resulting in 2.3 eV that is close to the
values reported for this material.
Acknowledgment: I would like to acknowledge Dr. Eduardo Verdin López for his
help and guidance for the thermal treatments and to Dr. Roberto Carlos
Carrillo Torres for his help and guidance for several characterizations. Special
acknowledgements for Universidad de Sonora and CONACYT for their support
for the performing of this investigation.
Keywords: Cadmium Oxide, Thin Film, Solar Cells
Presenting authors email: kassim-kun@hotmail.com