Band offsets at the ZnSe/CuGaSe2(001) heterointerface

The formation of the ZnSe/CuGaSe2 heterointerface was studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). ZnSe was sequentially grown on CuGaSe2(001) epilayers. In situ photoemission spectra of the Ga 3d and Zn 3d core levels as well as XPS valence bands were acquired after each deposition step. The valence-band offset is determined to be ΔEV=0.6±0.1 eV. As a consequence, a nearly symmetric “type-I” band alignment for the ZnSe/CuGaSe2 heterojunction with a conduction-band offset of ΔEC=0.4±0.1 eV is found. Concerning the band alignment ZnSe can, therefore, be expected to be a suitable buffer material for CuGaSe2-based thin-film solar cells.