Electrical, optical, and scanning tunneling microscopic studies on layer type CdIn2S4-xSex (1.75 ≤ x ≤ 2.75)

The present paper deals with the microstructural parameters calculated from X-ray diffraction data, electrical and optical investigations, and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies on ZnIn2S4 IIIa layer type CdIn2S4-xSex (1.75 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 2.75) quaternary chalcogenides. Microstructural parameters such as dislocation density, root-mean-square strain, stacking fault probability, crystallite size anisotropy, and layer disorder parameters of these compounds have been calculated. The temperature variation of electrical conductivity (25-400 degreesC) confirmed semiconducting behavior. The band gaps of all these compounds obtained from STM and optical measurements are in the range 1.57-1.77 eV and are comparable to each other irrespective of the technique used.