Synthesis of (CdZn)Se thin films by a facile aqueous phase route and their photoelectrochemical performance for solar cell application

In the present work, we have synthesized nanocrystalline (CdZn)Se thin films by a simple and cost effective arrested precipitation technique. Systematic characterization of optostructural, morphological, compositional and photoelectrochemical property has been carried out. The optical band gap was evaluated from optical absorption spectra by using UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometer. Estimated optical band gap lies in the range of 1.90–2.07 eV. X-ray diffraction pattern reveals that the deposited thin films were nanocrystalline in nature and exhibit cubic crystal structure. The dependency of microstructural parameters such as crystallite size, microstrain and dislocation density has been studied. Scanning electron microscopy images demonstrates that surface morphology can be improved with respect to deposition time. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed that composition and stoichiometry of (CdZn)Se thin films. A maximum photo conversion efficiency 0.73 % was achieved in the (CdZn)Se cauliflower thin film based solar cell.