Spectromicroscopic characterisation of CuInS2 surfaces

Photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) is used to study CuInS2 surfaces. CuInS2 (CIS) is used as polycrystalline absorber layer for thin film solar cells. A characterisation in terms of morphological information, elemental distribution, and of doping inhomogeneities at the surface is very important. We demonstrate that the method is capable for such surface studies in high lateral resolution. The use of synchrotron radiation allows the visualization of chemical inhomogeneities in single grains. By taking PEEM images around the absorption edges of Cu, In, or S, we are able to map elemental distributions, separated from morphology-dependent information in the PEEM image. Excitation with Hg illumination allows characterisation of elemental inhomogeneities. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.