Synthesis, Characterization and Decomposition Studies of Tris(N,N-dibenzyldithiocarbamato) Indium(III): Chemical Spray Deposition of Polycrystalline CuInS2 on Copper Films

Abstract Tris(bis(phenylmethyl)carbamodithioato- S , S ′), commonly referred to as tris( N , N -dibenzyldithiocarbamato)indium(III), In(S 2 CNBz 2 ) 3 , was synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P 1 ¯ with two molecules per unit cell. The material was further characterized using a novel analytical system employing the combined powers of thermogravimetric analysis, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to investigate its potential use as a precursor for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of thin film materials for photovoltaic applications. Upon heating, the material thermally decomposes to release CS 2 and benzyl moieties in to the gas phase, resulting in bulk In 2 S 3 . Preliminary spray CVD experiments indicate that In(S 2 CNBz 2 ) 3 decomposed on a Cu substrate reacts to produce stoichiometric CuInS 2 films.