Structural, optical, and electrical properties of epitaxial chalcopyrite CuIn3Se5 films

Abstract

Single crystal CuIn3Se5 epitaxial films have been synthesized on GaAs(001) by a hybrid sputtering and evaporation technique. The microstructure, microchemistry, and selected electrical and optical properties of the films have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, cathodoluminescence, optical absorption and reflection, and four-point probe resistivity measurements. The results showed that the CuIn3Se5 crystals have an ordered point defect structure, a band gap of ≥1.18 eV, an optical absorption coefficient of about 15 000 cm−1 at a photon energy of 1.35 eV, and a film resistivity of ≳105 Ω cm. The results suggest the presence of band tails giving rise to subgap radiative recombination and absorption. Antiphase domain boundaries, stacking faults, and nanotwins were observed in the epitaxial layers and were reduced in number by rapid thermal annealing.