Preparation of Q-copper indium sulfide thin films by liquid-liquid interface reaction technique (LLIRT)

Thin films of I-III-VI2 ternary semiconductor compound, CuInS2, with the chalcopyrite structure were prepared by the "liquid-liquid interface reaction technique" (LLIRT). The films were characterized by electron diffraction (ED), UV-Vis spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The d values calculated from the ED ring pattern matched with the d values reported for CuInS2. The onset of optical absorption is at 700 nm, which suggests the nanonature of the material. The XPS data support the stoichiometric formation of CuInS2 without any impurity phases as inferred from ED studies. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.