Using atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) which is a soft deposition technique for Z
nO it is possible to avoid the deposition of thick buffer layers by chemica
l bath deposition (CBD) and wet treatments can be almost reduced to surface
treatments. In this work new electrochemical and chemical treatments have
been designed with the objective of surface passivation and surface doping
by using solutions with different reactivities (via pH, complexing agents,
metallic cations). ZnO layers are then deposited by ALE to complete the jun
ctions. The results show relations between the interface treatment and the
cell characteristics. Efficiencies comparable and in some cases higher than
those of the reference cells made with CBD CdS and sputtered ZnO have been
obtained (up to 12.7% with indium treatments). (C) 2000 Published by Elsev
ier Science S.A. All rights reserved.