Structural Properties and Morphology of the Quaternary Semiconductor AgIn4GaTe8

We report on the structural properties and morphology of the quaternary semiconductor AgIn4GaTe8, prepared by direct fusion of stoichiometric mixture of constituent elements. For this, powder X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques were employed. From the XRD patterns we have identify a tetragonal phase together with a secondary orthorhombic phase. A strain/size analysis of the full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of the diffraction lines, showed an anisotropic microstructure associated to the presence of microstrains, induced by crystallite size variations combined with crystallite dislocations. The SEM measurements reveal a material with very rough surface and faceted grains. The grain size determined from SEM micrographs was larger than the crystallite size obtained from the XRD data.