Formation of CuInSe2 by the selenization of sputtered Cu/In layers

• Published in: Journal of materials science 1997-04, Vol.32 (7), p.1889-1894
• Main Authors: BHATTACHARYYA, D, FORBES, L, ADURODIJA, F. O, CARTER, M. J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Annealing; Chalcopyrite; Copper; Copper indium selenides; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Glass substrates; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Physics; Precursors; Selenium; Solid phase epitaxy; growth from solid phases; Ternary systems; Vacuum thermal evaporation
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1018517209661

Single layers of Cu and In were deposited onto Mo coated glass substrates by radio frequency sputtering. The Cu11In9 phase has been found to be the majority phase in these precursors. The selenization of the sputtered layers has been achieved by depositing a 1 μm Se layer onto the precursor by thermal evaporation followed by an annealing in vacuum. Samples were annealed at different temperatures varying between 100–600°C at intervals of 50°C. The chalcopyrite structured ternary phase of CuInSe2 with a significant amount of preferential orientation in the (112) direction was obtained in samples annealed at 400°C or above. Morphological, compositional and structural analyses of the samples annealed at different temperatures were performed using a variety of complementary techniques. The results were analysed to explain the growth of CuInSe2 on the selenization of sputtered Cu-In precursors. The occurrence of various binary phases of Cu-In, Cu-Se and In-Se in different annealing temperature ranges has also been investigated. The phenomenon of volume expansion in CuInSe2 on selenization has been found to manifest itself as a shift in the characteristic (110) X-ray diffraction peak of Mo.