Sb2Se3 films fabricated by thermal evaporation and post annealing

Abstract

Herein, Sb2Se3-related thin films were prepared by thermal evaporation at room-temperature and post annealing at high temperature. The Sb2Se3 film performance was studied as a function of annealing atmosphere: an inert Ar atmosphere, a H2S-containing atmosphere or a H2Se-containing atmosphere. The phase structure and microscopic morphology were mainly investigated as a function of temperature and annealing atmosphere. The results show that all films possess the orthorhombic Sb2Se3 phase regardless of the annealing atmosphere. Furthermore, the preferred epitaxial growth of the films annealed under the H2S-containing and H2Se-containing atmospheres is along (020) and (120) planes; while the preferred epitaxial growth of the films annealed under an inert Ar atmosphere is along (211) and (221) planes. When subjecting the films to annealing temperatures >450 °C, the film thickness was observed to reduce when annealing under Ar and H2Se-containing atmospheres, which may be ascribed to the volatilization of the films at high temperatures.