A novel method for preparing α-In2Te3 polycrystalline thin films

Indium telluride In2Te3 polycrystalline thin films of different thicknesses were prepared using sequential thermal evaporation of In and Te layers on glass and SnO2 coated glass substrates held at room temperature. The post-deposition annealing was performed in an argon or a nitrogen atmosphere at different temperatures and for several durations. The influence of the annealing conditions on the film structure was investigated The characterization of the films was made by X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman scattering and optical transmission. We show that annealing at a temperature of 663 for 30 min leads to monophased and homogeneous alpha-In2Te3 thin films. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.