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Water‐Assisted Liftoff of Polycrystalline CdS/CdTe Thin Films Using Heterogeneous Interfacial Engineering
Author(s) -
Magginetti David J.,
Aguiar Jeffery A.,
Winger Joshua R.,
Scarpulla Michael A.,
Pourshaban Erfan,
Yoon Heayoung P.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201900300
Subject(s) - materials science , cadmium telluride photovoltaics , crystallite , delamination (geology) , optoelectronics , thin film , layer (electronics) , substrate (aquarium) , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , metallurgy , paleontology , engineering , biology , subduction , tectonics , oceanography , geology
Abstract Recent advances in device design and process optimizations have enabled the production of CdTe devices on flexible substrates, but the necessary high‐temperature processing (>450 °C) to recrystallize grains limits the use of alternative lightweight substrates. Here, a new synthesis method is reported to create a freestanding CdS/CdTe film by combining high‐temperature depositions (CdS/CdTe on Si/SiO 2 ) and a simple lift‐off process in a water environment at room temperature. Analysis of the results indicate that the delamination is facilitated by the innate lattice mismatch as well as the presence of an unexpected Te‐rich layer (≈20 nm), which accumulates on the SiO 2 surface. High‐resolution electron microscopy and spectroscopy measurements confirm that the CdS/CdTe film is physically liberated from the substrate without leaving any residue, while also preserving their initial structural and compositional properties.