One, step electrodeposition of Cu(Ga,in)Se2 thin films from aqueous solution

Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 (CIGS) semiconducting thin films films were prepared by electrodeposition from aqueous solution containing CuCl2, InCl3, GaCl3 and H2SeO3. The deposited material was characterized by cyclic voltammetry. The compositional, structural studies were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). X-ray analysis showed the formation of Culn(1-x)Ga(x)Se(2) films, in the optimum conditions, with preferred orientation in the (112) direction. We observed a shift of the peaks to higher angles with increasing x, accounting for a decrease of the lattice constants when In atoms are substituted by Ga atoms. Element mapping and scanline (EDX) indicate that the Cu, In, Ga, and Se elements are homogeneously distributed.