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Synthesis and characterization of highly stoichiometric AgInSe 2 thin films via a sol–gel spin‐coating technique
Author(s) -
AlAgel F. A.,
Mahmoud Waleed E.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied crystallography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.429
H-Index - 162
ISSN - 1600-5767
DOI - 10.1107/s002188981203511x
Subject(s) - high resolution transmission electron microscopy , selected area diffraction , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , crystallite , materials science , thin film , scanning electron microscope , lattice constant , analytical chemistry (journal) , spin coating , transmission electron microscopy , crystallography , annealing (glass) , diffraction , chemistry , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , optics , composite material , metallurgy , physics , chromatography , engineering
Highly stoichiometric AgInSe 2 thin films have been prepared on a p‐type Si(111) substrate by a sol–gel spin‐coating technique. These films were annealed at different temperatures. The as‐prepared and annealed films were characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD spectra showed that the crystal structure of the AgInSe 2 film was that of cubic fluorite chalcopyrite with lattice constants a = 6.102 Å and c = 11.69 Å. The SEM images depicted the surface morphology as smooth and the spherical particles as uniformly distributed. The average particle size was increased as the annealing temperature increased. Using HRTEM images and SAED patterns for the as‐synthesized and annealed thin films, the AgInSe 2 film was indexed to a pure polycrystalline chalcopyrite AgInSe 2 structure with a lattice spacing of around 0.3 nm. XPS spectra showed that the as‐deposited AgInSe 2 film was Ag rich, while the AgInSe 2 films annealed at 523 and 623 K were In rich.