Growth Of CuInSe Research Articles

The effect of thermal annealing of Mo film on the CuInSe2 layer texture and device performance

The influence of annealing treatment of molybdenum (Mo) film on the growth of CuInSe 2 (CIS) thin film has been studied. We show that Mo film is with much better electrical conductivity and adhesion after being annealed in vacuum. It is found that annealing of Mo film not only modifies the orientation of In 2 Se 3 (IS) precursor, but also the texture of CIS crystal. Thermally treated Mo film favors the growth of (220/204) oriented CIS film. CIS solar cell grown on annealed Mo film is found to be with higher device efficiency, which is attributed to the increased fill factor ( FF ). • After being annealed in vacuum, the electrical conductivity and mechanical stability of Mo film are much better. • Annealing of Mo film modifies the orientation of In 2 Se 3 precursor. • Annealing of Mo film modifies the orientation of CIS crystal. • We improve performance of the CuInSe 2 solar cell by annealing Mo film substrate.

Low-Temperature Growth of CuInSe<SUB>2</SUB> Thin Films for Solar Cells with Additional Annealing in Non-Self-Maintained Gaseous Discharge

Low-Temperature Growth of CuInSe<SUB>2</SUB> Thin Films for Solar Cells with Additional Annealing in Non-Self-Maintained Gaseous Discharge

Growth of CuInSe2 thin films by a single-step electrodeposition technique using acetonitrile as complexing agent

Thin films of CuInSe2 were grown on SnO2 coated glass microslides using a single-step electrodeposition technique. The bath was made up of a mixture of aqueous solutions of CuCl2, InCl3, and SeO2 with acetonitrile (CH3CN) acting as a complexing agent. Voltametric studies suggest that acetonitrile is a suitable complexing agent, which helps in bringing the deposition potentials of Cu, In, and Se close to each other. The films were characterized by EDAX, SIMS, X-ray diffraction, and optical studies, which show that the material is CuInSe2, with a direct band gap of about 1 eV. The films were annealed in a Se atmosphere to improve their crystalline properties. X-ray diffractograms show that the peaks of CuInSe2, which are broad and of low intensity for as-grown films, become sharp and intense after annealing in Se atmosphere. SIMS depth profiles show that the films have a fairly uniform composition along the depth of the films.

Effect of Cu/In Ratio in Crystal Growth of CuInSe2Thin Films Fabricated by Reduction and Selenization Using Cu and In2O3Paste Materials

Effect of Cu/In Ratio in Crystal Growth of CuInSe₂Thin Films Fabricated by Reduction and Selenization Using Cu and In₂O₃Paste Materials

Growth of CuInSe2 and In2Se3/CuInSe2 Nano-Heterostructures through Solid State Reactions

In(2)Se(3) is an essential phase change material and CuInSe(2) is the fundamental basis of the copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS) solar energy material. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility to transform the phase change material to the solar energy material via the solid state reaction. The In(2)Se(3) nanobelts (NBs) were synthesized via the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. The chemical composition and the optical properties were investigated by energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and reflectance and photoluminescence spectra. In the in situ observation of the solid state reaction with Cu to form the CuInSe(2) NBs with ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscopy, we observed the In(2)Se(3)/CuInSe(2) transformation at atomic scale in real time. The progression of the atomic layer at the interface provided the pertinent information on the kinetic mechanism. In(2)Se(3)/CuInSe(2) nano-heterostructures were also obtained in the present investigation. The approach to the CIGS nanosolar cell was also proposed. This study shall be beneficial in the development of high-performance nanowire solar cells and nanodevices with In(2)Se(3)/CuInSe(2) nano-heterostructures.

Growth of CuInSe2 monograin powders with different compositions

AbstractCuInSe2 monograin powders (MGP) were synthesized from Cu-In alloys of different Cu/In concentration ratios and elemental Se in liquid phase of flux material in evacuated quartz ampoules. The surface morphology, phase structure, and composition of the powder crystals were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis respectively. Bulk composition was analyzed polarographically. Photoluminescence spectra were measured at 9 K. It was found that the composition of MGP material (Cu/In concentration ratio) can be controlled by the concentration ratio of precursor Cu-In alloys. Single phase CuInSe2 growth is realisable between 0.7<Cu/In<1 at the growth temperature of 1000 K. Photoluminescence spectra of near-stoichiometric materials had one dominant peak at 0.93 eV, which is typical to In-rich CuInSe2. Samples with high In content exhibited two broad bands with peak positions at 0.86 and 0.93 eV.

Growth of CuInSe 2 thin films by high vapour Se treatment of co-sputtered Cu-In alloy in a graphite container

The crystallization of CuInSe 2 thin films by high Se vapour selenization of co-sputtered Cu-In alloy precursor within a partially closed graphite container is reported. X-ray diffusion (XRD) analysis of the Cu-In alloy films displayed mainly the CuIn 2 and Cu 11In 9 phases. A three-fold volume expansion was recorded in all the selenized CuInSe 2 films at 500–550°C. Large and densely packed crystals with sizes of about 5 μm were exhibited by the films irrespective of whether they were Cu-rich or In-rich. Single phase chalcopyrite CuInSe 2 structure with preferential orientation in the (112) direction were obtained. Films with a wide range of compositions (Cu/In of 0.43–1.2 and Se/(Cu+In) of 0.92–1.47) were fabricated. All the films where Se rich, with the exception of samples with very high Cu content. The measured film resistivities varied from 10 −1 to 10 5 Ω-cm in consistence with the increasing Cu content of the alloy precursor during deposition. The alloy films with very high In content yielded the CuIn 2Se 3.5 or CuIn 3Se 5 compound as determined from XRD and EDX analyses. A study of the reaction mechanism performed between 250 and 550°C indicated that the crystal growth was assisted by the formation of the CuSe flux agent. The development of a suitable window layer to test the photovoltaic properties of these films is currently in progress.

Nucleation and growth of CuInSe 2 on a glassy carbon electrode

The nucleation and growth of the ternary semiconductor CuInSe 2 on a glassy carbon electrode, has been investigated by running a set of potential step experiments. Reduced variable plots deduced of the i- t transients were compared with theoretical models, allowing us to propose a three dimensional progressive nucleation growth with diffusion control as a possible mechanism.

Growth of Cuinse2 on (lOO) Gaas by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

ABSTRACTDomain-free epitaxial layer of CuInSe2 has been successfully grown on (lOO) GaAs at the substrate temperature above 470°C. Both TEM and X-ray analyses were performed to verify this result. The CuInSe2/GaAs interface was examined by high resolution TEM. For films high in indium, InSe was identifed by X-ray diffraction. TEM observations showed that the InSe precipitates were rectangular in shape and the habit plane was determined to be (110). Photo-assisted MBE technique had also been used for the growth of CuInSe2 films with high crystalline quality. The epitaxial temperature was significantly reduced to 300°C.

Growth of CuInSe 2 by two magnetron sputtering techniques

The results of experiments characterizing CuInSe 2 deposition by reactive magnetron sputtering and by a hybrid sputtering and evaporation technique are presented. Both techniques produce films with chemical and structural properties comparable with those commonly used for polycrystalline CuInSe 2-based solar cells. The reactive sputtering technique produces films with compositions ranging from copper rich to indium rich with near-stoichiometric selenium contents at low temperatures. Indium-rich films cannot be produced at temperatures above about 400°C. The hybrid process produces films over a large composition range at growth temperatures up to 450°C. Film compositions are uniform across 25 mm substrates to within ±1 at.% and non-uniformities can be directly related to the deposition geometry. For hybrid films, the selenium flux is shown to play a major role in determining both the selenium and the indium contents of the films at elevated temperatures. A coupled In-Se desorption mechanism which is inhibited by the presence of large amounts of excess selenium is proposed to explain the latter data. The substrate material is shown to affect strongly the film chemistry. Films deposited on copper show a higher copper content due to diffusion of the substrate material into the film during growth. Layers deposited by the hybrid process on molybdenum exhibit lower indium and higher selenium contents than films on glass at all temperatures examined. Finally, copper, indium and selenium diffusion into molybdenum substrates was observed at all growth temperatures.

The phase relations in the Cu,In,Se system and the growth of CuInSe 2 single crystals

The phase relations in the Cu,In,Se system are reviewed with particular attention to compositions in the vicinity of CuInSe 2. The pseudobinary Cu 2Se-In 2Se 3 is re-evaluated and the liquidus-solidus relationship of the δ phase is discussed. The growth of CuInSe 2 single crystals is described using the methods of gradient freeze, Bridgman, chemical vapor transport, zone leveling and liquid encapsulated Czochralski pulling.

Crystal growth of quaternary and pentanary chalcopyrite alloy single crystals for solar cell applications

The growth of CuInSe 2(1-y)Te 2y, CuGaSe 2(1-y)Te 2y and CuIn 1−xGa xSe 2(1-y)Te 2y single crystals by chemical vapor transport technique in a closed tube, using iodine as a transport agent, is reported. Stringfellow's a-priori method is used in order to determine the interaction coefficients and the upper critical temperatures of pseudoternary chalcopyrite solid solutions. Resistivity and carrier mobility were determined by resistivity and Hall effect measurements using Van der Pauw method: all samples present p-type conductivity; the materials considered here have a large spread in the resistivity values.