<i>p-n</i> Photovoltaic Effect in Cadmium Sulfide

Abstract

So-called front-wall cells have been produced from CdS by inwards diffusion and subsequent selective etching away of the metal (Cu, Ag, Ni) producing the barrier layer. In particular, measurements were carried out of the dark current as a function of the voltage applied at different temperatures, of the shortcircuit current and the open-circuit voltage as a function of tempering time, illumination and temperature; and the spectral sensitivity of the short-circuit current was compared with the photoconductivity. It is shown that the photovoltaic effect can be explained not by a photoionization of electrons from the free metal but only by a p-n photoeffect. On the assumption of an impurity conduction in the p region the properties of the p-n photovoltaic effect are discussed.