One-step electrodeposited CuInSe 2 thin films studied by Raman spectroscopy

AbstractCuInSe 2 thin films one-step electrodeposited under different conditions were studied by MicroRaman spectroscopy to identify and quantify theindividual phases present in the films.From the analysis of the Raman spectra, the main ternary phase (CuInSe 2 ) and elementary selenium Se 0 were clearly identified. Specificchemical etches confirm the presence of elementary selenium Se 0 and copper selenide binary phases Cu x Se in selenium rich film.The amounts of these two phases were evaluated from X-ray Fluorescence measurements and confirmed using phase selective chemicaltreatments.© 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Electrodeposition; Raman spectroscopy; CuInSe 2 ;Cu x Se; Elementary selenium; Chemical etch 1. IntroductionElectrochemistry is an important area of research for thepreparation of advanced materials. In the last two decades, thistechnique has been used for the preparation of semiconductorsfor photovoltaic applications [1]. Due to the nanocrystalline or/and amorphous structure of the polyphasic materials obtained,newanalysismethodsarerequiredtoidentify phasesinadditionto conventional X-ray Diffraction method. Raman spectroscopyisasuitabletechniqueforthis task.It isawidely used techniquein polycrystalline silicon and chalcopyrite monitoring theprocess in the solar cells industry [2,3].ElectrochemicalpreparationofCuInSe