Semiconductor—Electrolyte photovoltaic cells employing CdSe and CdTe

Cadmium selenide and cadmium telluride have been studied in photovoltaic cells constructed of single crystal semiconductor materials in contact with electrolyte solutions. Cadmium selenide shows an open-circuit voltage near 0.8 V and power conversion efficiencies near 6 percent for 720-nm light. The CdTe cells did not show current-voltage characteristics favorable for solar cell application. Formation of a surface film of tellurium apparently degrades the photovoltaic properties on illumination.