Cyclic voltammetry study on electrodeposition of CuInSe2 thin films

Abstract

Chalcopyrite CuInSe2(CIS) is considered to be an effective light-absorbing material for thin film photovoltaic solar cells. CIS thin films have been electrodeposited onto Mo coated and ITO glass substrates in potentiostatic mode at room temperature. The deposition mechanism of CIS thin films has been studied using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique. A cyclic voltammetric study was performed in unitary Cu, In, and Se systems, binary Cu-Se and In-Se systems, and a ternary Cu-In-Se system. The reduction peaks of the ITO substrate were examined in separate Cu2+, In3+, and Se4+ solutions. Electrodeposition experiments were conducted with varying deposition potentials and electrolyte bath conditions. The morphological and compositional properties of the CIS thin films were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The surface morphology of as-deposited CIS films exhibits spherical and large-sized clusters. The deposition potential has a significant effect on the film morphology and/or grain size, such that the structure tended to grow according to the increase of the deposition potential. A CIS layer deposited at -0.6 V nearly approached the stoichiometric ratio of CuIn0.8Se1.8. The growth potential plays an important role in controlling the stoichiometry of CIS films. © Materials Research Society of Korea.