Effective phototransformation in a heterostructure based on copper(I) oxide and cadmium tin oxide

Abstract

We present a heterostructure consisting of anodic copper oxide Cu₂O on a copper substrate and a transparent Cd–Sn–O conducting film for use in solar cells. Focusing on simplicity and the availability of film fabrication techniques, we chose anodic oxidation for forming the Cu₂O film and the extraction-pyrolysis technique for forming the transparent Cd–Sn–O conducting layer. We demonstrate the possibility of considerable enhancement of the phototransformation efficiency in the Cu–Cu₂O/Cd–Sn–O structure over this parameter in the Cu–Cu₂O structure.