Abstract
Vickers microhardness measurements were taken on the (112) face of bulk CuInSe 2 crystal grown using a direct fusion technique followed by slow directional solidification. The method of preparation took 6–7 d. The lattice constants of the chalcopyrite structure are a o = 0.5788 ± 0.0001 nm and c o = 1.1617 ± 0.0004 nm . The hardness was found to be 234.6 ± 8 kg mm −2 at room temperature. As a function of applied load, in the range 15–500 g, the variation in hardness is explained by the idea of resistance to pressure. The minimum load required to make an indentation mark on the surface of CuInSe 2 is estimated to be 2.56 g. Study and analysis of the temperature dependence of hardness, in the range 20–250 °C, indicated that the indentation size depends strongly on temperature. The relation between the hardness H v and the expansion α l of the unit cell volume V was stimulated as H v (T) ∝ exp(-BΔV) , where ΔV = 3α L V o ΔT .
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