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Studies of the micro‐ and nanostructure of polycrystalline CdTe and CuInSe 2 using atomic force and scanning tunneling microscopy
Author(s) -
Moutinho H. R.,
Hasoon F. S.,
Kazmerski L. L.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.4670030104
Subject(s) - scanning tunneling microscope , nanostructure , cadmium telluride photovoltaics , scanning electron microscope , materials science , nanotechnology , crystallite , semiconductor , conductive atomic force microscopy , microscopy , photoconductive atomic force microscopy , nanoscopic scale , scanning probe microscopy , optoelectronics , scanning confocal electron microscopy , scanning ion conductance microscopy , atomic force microscopy , solar cell , scanning capacitance microscopy , optics , physics , metallurgy , composite material
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have been used to study the micro‐ and nanostructure of CdTe and CuInSe 2 thin films used for photovoltaic cells. Topographic images are comparable with those reported previously using conventional scanning electron microscopy (SEM)—to the limit of spatial resolution of the SEM technique. For higher magnifications, nanoscale structures and features have been observed for the first time with AFM and STM, and these observations have implications for the suitability and preparation of these semiconductors for high‐efficiency solar cell realization.