Electrodeposition of High-Purity Indium Thin Films and Its Application to Indium Phosphide Solar Cells

Abstract

We report on advances in the electrochemical deposition of indium (In) on molybdenum foil that enables deposition of electronicgrade purity, continuous films with thickness in the micron range. The desired In film morphology is obtained from an InCl 3 aqueous bath by using a high current density of 250 mA/cm 2 and a low deposition-bath temperature of −5 • C to increase the nucleation density of In islands until a continuous film is obtained. As an example application, the electrodeposited In films are phosphorized via the thin-film vapor-liquid-solid growth method. The resulting poly-crystalline InP films display excellent optoelectronic quality, comparable to single crystalline InP wafers, thus demonstrating the versatility of the developed electrochemical deposition procedure.

Economic pulse electrodeposition for flexible CuInSe2 solar cells

“…Such coverage is essential to allow the uniform deposition In in the second step. In electrodeposition of CIS or CIGS, it is well-known that the deposition of Cu on Mo facilitates the deposition of In as In does not get reduced onto Mo directly at ambient temperatures [23], unless extreme conditions like high current densities and low temperatures (− 5 ℃) are employed [24]. Therefore, a smooth and conformally covered Cu layer on Mo is necessary, which is achieved in the present case by pulse electrodeposition (PED).…”

Electrochemical Mechanism of the Preparation of High-Purity Indium by Electrodeposition

“…Finally, it was ultrasonically cleaned with distilled water and anhydrous ethanol and then placed in anhydrous ethanol for 20 min before use. In the electrodeposition experiment, coarse indium was used as an anode and a high-purity titanium plate was used as a cathode ( Lobaccaro et al, 2014 ; Dell'Era et al, 2020 ). The electrolyte was an indium sulfate electrolytic system, and NaCl was added to enhance its conductivity ( Walsh and Gabe, 1981 ; Liu et al, 2021 ).…”

Low-Cost Approaches to III–V Semiconductor Growth for Photovoltaic Applications

“…Further reductions in the cost of the group III element have already been explored for TF-VLS as electrochemical deposition rather than evaporation could be used to deposit the initial In layer. 110 Similarly, it is likely possible to use polycrystalline or powder (and therefore lower-cost) stoichiometric solid sources for CSVT. 81 Generat-Although TF-VLS growth has a short history compared to HVPE and CSVT, it has significant potential for the growth of III−V-based thin-film polycrystalline PVs ing the group III precursor from a solid, as in these cases, additionally removes one of the current safety concerns for large-scale III−V growth and thus lowers capital and operational expense.…”

“…Similar comparisons can be made for In. Further reductions in the cost of the group III element have already been explored for TF-VLS as electrochemical deposition rather than evaporation could be used to deposit the initial In layer . Similarly, it is likely possible to use polycrystalline or powder (and therefore lower-cost) stoichiometric solid sources for CSVT .…”