STUDIES OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND NANOSTRUCTURE OF POLYCRYSTALLINE CDTE AND CUINSE2 USING ATOMIC-FORCE AND SCANNING-TUNNELING-MICROSCOPY

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have been used to study the micro- and nanostructure of CdTe and CuInS e2 thin films used for photovoltaic cells. Topographic images ape comp arable with those reported previously using conventional scanning elec tron microscopy (SEM)-to the limit spatial resolution of the SEM techn ique. For higher magnifications, nanoscale structures and features hav e been observed for the first time with, AFM and STM, and these observ ations have implications for the suitability and preparation of these semiconductors for high-efficiency solar cell realization.