Growth studies and characterisation of In 2 S 3 thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD)

N. Naghavi, R. Henriquez, V. Laptev, D. Lincot

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

105 Scopus citations

Abstract

An increased attention is devoted to interfacial In 2 S 3 thin films because of their potential application as a new generation of buffer layer in copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS)-based solar cells. In this paper, thin films of In 2 S 3 were deposited on soda lime glass and SnO 2 -coated glass using indium acetylacetonate (In(acac) 3 ) and H 2 S precursors by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a sequential chemical vapour deposition technique allowing the formation of dense and homogeneous films. The effect of temperature on the film kinetics has been studied. In a temperature window between 130 and 260°C, a maximum growth rate of about 0.7 Å per cycle is obtained at 180°C. The structure and morphology of films were characterised by XRD, SEM and TEM. The ALD-In 2 S 3 thin films are crystallised in a tetragonal form with band gap values of about 2.7 eV. Electrical properties have been addressed by using impedance measurements on semiconductor electrolyte junctions. The films are n-type semiconductors with a doping level around 10 16 -10 17 cm -3 and possess a good blocking behaviour under reverse bias. The flat band potential is about -1.1 V versus MSE. These figures are close to those measured under similar conditions with CdS buffer layers and could explain the good cell performances obtained with ALD-In 2 S 3 .

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)65-73
Number of pages9
JournalApplied Surface Science
Volume222
Issue number1-4
DOIs
StatePublished - 30 Jan 2004
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Atomic layer deposition
  • Characterisation
  • In S
  • Thin film deposition

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Growth studies and characterisation of In 2 S 3 thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this