Substrate type < 111 >-Cu2O/<0001 >-ZnO photovoltaic device prepared by photo-assisted electrodeposition

• Substrate type ZnO/Cu2O photovoltaic devices only by electrodeposition
• ZnO layer was stacked on the Cu2O layer by photo-assisted electrodeposition.
• AZO/ZnO/Cu2O photovoltaic devices with a short-circuit current density of 5.87 mA cm− 2

The substrate-type < 0001 > ZnO/<111 > Cu2O photovoltaic (PV) device has been constructed by electrodeposition of a < 111 >-p-Cu2O layer on an Au(111)/Si wafer substrate followed by stacking the n-ZnO layer by electrodeposition during light irradiation in aqueous solutions. The PV device was fabricated by stacking the Al:ZnO-window by sputtering and the top Al electrode by vacuum evaporation. The < 0001 >-ZnO layer was composed of aggregates of hexagonal columnar grains grown in the direction normal to the surface, and pores could be observed between the ZnO grains at the deposition time last 1800 s. The < 0001 >-ZnO/<111 >-Cu2O PV device showed a photovoltaic performance under AM1.5 illumination, and showed the improved short-circuit current density of 5.87 mA cm− 2 by stacking the AZO-TCO due to the increase in the diffusion length of the carrier.