Characteristics of Copper Indium Diselenide Thin Films Formed on Flexible Substrates by Electrodeposition

A CuInSe(2) (CIS) thin film was electrodeposited (ED) on a Au-coated plastic substrate using an aqueous acidic solution containing 1 MM CuCl(2), 5 mM InCl(3), 1 mM SeO(2) and 1 M triethanolamine (TEA) adjusted to pH 1.65. With this new technology, the quality of ED-CIS thin film can be suitably improved with 0.1 M Na citrate to control the growth solution. The composition of the CIS thin film was "Cu : In : Se = 25.6% : 25.0% : 49.4%" prepared at -1.5 V (SCE) after annealing at 150 degrees C for 7 h in a N(2) atmosphere. Neither the CIS thin film nor the plastic substrate was found to have cracked after the heat treatment. The ED-CIS thin-film quality demonstrates its potential in the fabrication of a flexible CIS-based solar cell.