ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a background to the electrochemical semiconductor growth technique, otherwise called the electrodeposition (ED) technique. It reviews the strengths, advantages, and disadvantages of this simple but powerful technique in the development of macroelectronic devices such as photovoltaic solar panels and large-area display devices. The chapter explains the deposition of consecutive semiconducting layers enables in some cases the fabrication of complete electronic devices within one electrolyte. The electrodeposition of semiconductors requires an electrolyte containing appropriate ions and three electrodes. The most attractive feature is the low cost when compared to other semiconductor growth techniques. Electrodeposition, however, has an added advantage over other semiconductor growth techniques, which is the self-purifcation capability. The impurity sources of electrodeposition technique include vessels, solvents, electrodes, and the chemicals used in the electrolytic cell. The use of electrodeposition as a growth technique for solar energy materials and nanomaterials is getting more popular in the research community.
