Electrochemic growth of CuInSe<inf>2</inf> thin film on ITO/soda-lime glass from acidic medium

Abstract

The simultaneous electrodeposition of the Cu-In-Se system was investigated. The study was carried out at pH 1.8 using sodium citrate as complexing agent for the Cu <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2+</sup> ion. The synthesis of CuInSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> semiconductor thin film was carried out by electrodeposition on indium-tin oxide (ITO) /soda-lime glass. The simultaneous composition of the Cu, In, and Se was achieved by constant potential electrolysis technique in aqueous solutions containing CuCl <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> , InCl <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> , and H <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> SeO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> . The as-deposited and annealed films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. Homogeneous films were deposited with a well-defined composition and chalcopyrite structure. The crystallinity of the films was improved by annealing. The deposited stoichiometric CuInSe <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> layers were about 2 mum in thickness. The annealed film is with a perfect crystallized and single chalcopyrite structure. It is suitable for photovoltaic applications.