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A study of microstructure and optical absorption properties of Cu(In,Ga,Al)Se 2 powders
Author(s) -
Ma Qiang,
Zhang WeiJia,
Ma Denghao,
Jiang Zhaoyi,
Ma Xiaobo,
Fan Zhiqiang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
crystal research and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.377
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1521-4079
pISSN - 0232-1300
DOI - 10.1002/crat.201700035
Subject(s) - microstructure , materials science , band gap , analytical chemistry (journal) , stoichiometry , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , absorption (acoustics) , transmission electron microscopy , absorption spectroscopy , stacking , ethylenediamine , doping , scanning electron microscope , grain size , crystallography , nanotechnology , metallurgy , chemical engineering , chemistry , optics , inorganic chemistry , optoelectronics , composite material , physics , chromatography , organic chemistry , engineering
CuIn x Ga y Al 1‐ x ‐ y Se 2 powders were prepared using a solvothermal reaction technique in ethylenediamine at 290°C for 20 hours. The microstructure and optical absorption properties of the powders were investigated by XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS and UV‐Vis‐NIR spectra. The results indicated that the Al atom was successfully incorporated into the CuIn x Ga 1‐ x Se 2 lattices, and Al doping had a significant effect on the microstructure, especially at the (112) crystal orientation. It was found that the peak of (112) shifted obviously to higher 2θ values with the increasing aluminum content. Transmission electron microscope observation revealed that the size of the CuIn x Ga y Al 1‐ x ‐ y Se 2 nanoparticles could be adjusted by varying the stoichiometric ratio of the In, Ga and Al, and the proper Al incorporation could reduce the density of the stacking faults and nanotwins in the CuIn x Ga y Al 1‐ x ‐ y Se 2 materials. XRD analysis indicated that the Al incorporation could effectively substitute In and Ga atoms. Finally, the band gap was obtained by UV‐Vis‐NIR spectra, and the results implied that the optical absorption value decreased and optical band gap increased significantly with the incorporation of Al, and it is close to the optimal band gap (1.37 eV) of solar cells when the stoichiometric ratio of the Al was between 0.2 and 0.3.