The Features of the Photoconductivity Activation of CdTe Thin Films by Cadmium Halide Mixtures

Abstract The effect of the annealing temperature in the presence of mixtures of cadmium chloride and cadmium iodide of different compositions on the electrophysical properties of CdTe thin films is studied. This process, in which, as a rule, cadmium chloride is used, is called activation . It allows us to significantly improve the efficiency of solar cells based on CdTe. It is found that the temperature of this process can be reduced from 450 to 300°C by replacing CdCl 2 with a mixture of the composition of ~60 mol % CdCl 2 to ~40 mol % CdI 2 .