Characterisation of Thin Films CuIn1-xAlxSe2 Prepared by Selenisation of Magnetron Sputtered Metallic Precursors

Thin films of CuIn1-xAlxSe2 have been produced by the selenisation of magnetron sputtered Cu/In/Al precursor layers using elemental selenium and the chemical and physical properties of the layers have been determined for different conditions of synthesis. For optimum conditions of synthesis it was found possible to produce single phase films with the chalcopyrite structure. These films were pinhole free, had good adhesion and were conformal to the substrate. The films had uniform depth profiles as determined using the MiniSIMS. The layers were highly photoactive, indicating that they have the potential to be used to fabricate thin film photovoltaic solar cell devices.