This work reports the process used to manufacture CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells at the Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME). The procedure consists of sequentially depositing several layers onto a glass substrate, configured as glass/TCO/CdS/CdTe/Au. Analysis of the individual layers showed that the films had the minimum requirements to yield efficient devices. The use of different TCOs did not improve the device efficiency, probably due to other more important loss mechanisms. The available system in the laboratory for the measurement of photovoltaic parameters yielded values near to the ones measured at NREL. The maximum efficiency of 4.4% is low compared with the worldwide record of 16.5%, but it can probably be improved by optimizing some steps of the manufacturing process such as the contact to CdTe and the thickness of the CdS layer.
