Influence of heat treatment on the electrophysical properties of thin films of copper-indium diselenide

An investigation of the structural, electrical, optical, and thermophysical properties is carried out on thin polycrystalline films of the ternary semiconductor CuInSe₂, which is potentially useful for fabricating solar cells. The thin films were obtained by thermal evaporation of CuInSe₂ and Se powder from two independent sources and by high-vacuum deposition in a closed cell (quasiequilibrium deposition). The influence of annealing in air on the parameters of the thin films is analyzed, and the dynamics of variation in the properties of the films are investigated as a function of the annealing time. Temperature dependences of the electrical conductivity, mobility, and thermal conductivity of CuInSe₂ thin films are given together with the spectral dependence of the short-circuit photocurrent of a photosensitive Au-CuInSe₂-Au structure. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 34–38 (March 1997)