ELECTROCHEMICAL-BEHAVIOR OF N-TYPE CDTE IN THE PRESENCE OF A MONOELECTRONIC OXIDIZING-AGENT (CE4+)

In this work, the hole-injection effect on n-CdTe from Ce4+ ions reduction and the ulterior oxidation of the material are presented. The oxidizing-species concentration varies from 10(-4)M to 5 x 10(-2)M. Within this concentration range, the Levich law is observed for the cathodic current. This indicates that the injection current is limited only by Ce4+ diffusion from the solution. The presence or absence of a Te0 layer on the electrode surface does not modify the process, whether it comes from the Br2-MeOH etching or from the oxidation process. The etching of the material is linear with respect to the immersion time, and the oxidation process occurs in two steps: the formation of a Te(o) film followed by its oxidation.