Original scientific paper
Structural and electrical properties of CuSbTe2, CuSbSe2 and CuSbS2 chalcogenide thin films
Laila I. Soliman
; National Research Centre, Solid State Physics Department, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
Aziza M. Abo El Soad
; National Research Centre, Solid State Physics Department, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
Hamdia A. Zayed
; Girls College for Art, Science and Education Ain Shams University
Sammer A. El Ghfar
; Girls College for Art, Science and Education Ain Shams University
Abstract
The ternary chalcogenides CuSbTe2, CuSbSe2 and CuSbS2 were synthesized by the direct fusion technique. The thin films of these compounds were prepared by thermal evaporation under vacuum of about 1.3 mPa (10−5 Torr) and the rate of deposition was 30 nm/min. The structural properties of CuSbTe2, CuSbSe2 and CuSbS2 in powder and thin film forms were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electronmicroscopy. Microprobe analysis technique was used to investigate the composition of the three alloys and of their films. The electrical conductivity σ and the thermoelectrical power Q have been measured for all asdeposited and annealed thin films, as a function of temperature in the range from 80 to 500 K. It was found that the electrical conductivity σ, the carrier concentration P, the mobility µ and the thermoelectric power Q increase when increasing the annealing temperature for CuSbTe2, CuSbSe2 and CuSbS2 thin films. The increase of σ, P, µ and Q, and also the decrease of the activation energy ∆E with increasing temperature for the as-deposited CuSbTe2, CuSbSe2 and CuSbS2 thin films, can be attributed to the change in the structure of these films from the amorphous to the crystalline state.
Keywords
ternary chalcogenides CuSbTe2; CuSbSe2 and CuSbS2; thin films; amorphous; crystalline; as-deposited; annealed; electrical conductivity; Hall effect; thermoelectrical power; carrier concentration; mobility; activation energy
Hrčak ID:
301596
URI
Publication date:
1.10.2002.
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