Investigation of Copper-Chalcopyrite Thin Films from Nanoparticle Powder

Abstract Chalcopyrite CuIn 0,5 Ga 0,5 Se 2 (CIGS) thin films for photovoltaic applications from nanoparticle powder were investigated in this work. CIGS nanoparticle powder was synthesized by mechanical allowing process from the mixture of elemental Cu, In, Ga and Se precursors in a cylindrical steel vial under argon atmosphere. CIGS finegrains with diameter in the range of 100-140 nm were obtained. The CIGS powder was then deposited onto glass and silicon substrates by the thermal evaporation technique. The X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis (EDS) measurements were used to describe the structure and morphology of CIGS layers. From X-ray diffraction spectrum, the evaporated CIGS are polycrystalline in nature and exhibiting chalcopyrite phase. From the across-section TEM micrographs of CIGS films, we evaluated the thickness of the CIGS layers about 1 μm and the lattice spaces have been determinate from the high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) micrographs.