Surfactant assisted single step electrodeposition of CuInSe2 thin films with rich indium selenide surface over layer

Abstract

Abstract In this work, we report on the electrodeposition of CuInSe2 (CIS) thin films with In2Se3 rich surface by a single step deposition technique. It was observed that the In-content deposited in CIS can be improved by the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate as a surfactant. The presence of an In–Se rich layer was confirmed by electrochemical, compositional and Raman spectroscopy analysis. The photo-electrochemical properties of the as-deposited CuInSe2 thin films were found to be enhanced due to the presence of In–Se rich superficial layer. The presence of an In–Se layer over CIS may act as a p-n homo-junction which may be attributed as the primary reason for the improvement in the PEC properties.