The growth of Cu2-xSe thin films using nanoparticles

For low-cost fabrication applications, Cu-2 (-) Se-x thin films were fabricated by a non-vacuum process and were then characterized in terms of quality. Cu-Se nanoparticles were synthesized by a low-temperature colloidal method and were confirmed to be Cu-2 (-) Se-x nanoparticles by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The synthesized Cu-2 (-) Se-x nanoparticles were deposited as films by a direct non-vacuum coating method, and the as-deposited Cu-2 (-) Se-x thin films were selenized at different reaction temperatures, reaction times, and Se fluxes. The selenized films presented several distinct characteristics that depended on their fabrication conditions. Well-grown Cu-2 (-) Se-x thin films were obtained at high reaction temperatures, long reaction times, and high Se fluxes. In addition, the selenized Cu-2 (-) Se-x layer was observed to have a larger Cu content than the Cu2 - Se-x nanoparticles. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.