Electrochemical preparation of cadmium sulphide for low-cost production of thin-film Cds/Cu2S solar cells

There is a need for an economic alternative to the fabrication of CdS/Cu2S cells by the Clevite process, and the result of an approach based on anodic sulphurisation of cadmium to cadmium sulphide in a manner analogous to the protective surface oxidation of aluminium by anodisation is presented. The exposed surface of cadmium metal, in sheet or electroplated form, is sulphurised electrochemically in an organosulphur bath to form CdS. The p-n heterojunction is completed by a dry-barrier conversion to Cu2S.