Pulsed Laser Deposition of Zn(O,Se) Layers for Optoelectronic Application

Abstract

Zinc oxyselenide—Zn(O,Se)—could become a novel buffer layer in solar cells and a functional layer in different optoelectronic devices. In this study, we systematically investigated the influence of the deposition temperature ranging from room temperature (RT) to 650 °C on the structural and optoelectronic properties of Zn(O,Se) layers grown on photovoltaic (PV) glass substrates by one-step pulsed laser deposition in a high vacuum. All layers were characterized using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), UV–vis spectroscopy, and the Hall and van der Pauw technique. We demonstrated that polycrystalline, uniform, and electrically conductive Zn(O,Se) layers were grown at the substrate temperatures of 500–650 °C, while those layers grown at temperatures below 500 °C were characterized as amorphous and exhibiting a semi-insulating behavior. According to the XRD data, single-phase layers consisting of a ternary Zn(O,Se) phase were formed only ...