Swelling modification by electron beam at chalcopyrite copper indium gallium diselenium thin-film controlled optical features

S. Akyol Voss, U. Canci Matur, H. Cimenoglu, N. Baydogan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Electron beam effect on swelling at the sol-gel derived thin film has been examined for chalcopyrite copper indium gallium diselenium thin-film semiconductor nanolayers with optical pransparent features. The copper indium gallium diselenium layers with the optical transparent features were irradiated by negatively charged electron beam which was emmited from Sr-90 radioisotope with 2.86 mCi activity. The swelling was the important parameters to use this thin film at the optoelectronic layers that have affected the safety and operating life of the equipments and systems in nuclear applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9-23
Number of pages15
JournalCurrent Applied Physics
Volume52
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Korean Physical Society

Funding

The SEM images of the CIGS thin-films are presented for unirradiated and the beta irradiated states in the previous study [13–15]. The surface morphology of the CIGS thin film has determined in SEM micrographs in Fig. 6a-d after the annealing process of the thin film samples. The SEM images has indicated that the solution gases (for example derived from terpinol, etc.) rising by evaporation (from the inside of the thin film layers towards the film surface) have affected the surface. The evaporated solution gasses have generated humidty on the film surface and they have more collected together at several parts of the surface. During the ageing process of the solution, the solution was able to maintain its properties for a certain period of time without being oxidized. As a result of the elapsed time of the aging process of the solution at the synthesis step, the surface of the film has remained gel-like for a longer time during the annealing processs. The film surface has solidified in a longer time in the annealing process after the aging of the solution. This has caused a result in the solution staying molten on the surface longer. The evaporated solution gas (formed on the film surface) caused the effect of moisture layer on the surface in the annealing environment. It has been thought that the aged solution, which was in a fluid state on the carrier surface for a long time, could cause erosion or cavitation corrosion (caused the deterioration of the film surface) on the film surface. The environment of the annealing process (affected this eroded film surface) caused a change in the physical properties (such as optical and electrical) of the surface. The optimum development of the physical properties of the film surface was controlled by the elapsed time of the ageing of the solution. The moisture (formed on the film surface) caused some deterioration of the physical properties of the surface. It was assumed that the development of the variatiations on the film surface changed the conductivity as the result of the oxidation of the metal atoms. The derived film from the aged solution has supported to carry metal atoms (eg Cu atoms, etc.) (in an effective form) with lowering the surface conductivity slightly. It was thought that the copper atoms were affected slightly by the humidity layer of the environment around the surface of the film. It is thought that the atoms could have formed a new electronic configuration and this situation has reduced the surface conductivity. It was assumed that the generated humidty layer (derived from the annealing process of the film) around the surface of the film (derived from the aged solution) could have affected the physical features of other chemicals. For example; terpinol could have changed the surface morphology as the result of the volatile effect of the terpineol (during the coating and the annealing processes). The SEM images of the samples derived from the aged soluation indicated that the rise of the aged time (such as 18 and 35 days) of the solution has supported to make more clear the ageing effect on the surface of the CIGS thin film for the unirradiated and the beta irradiated states in Fig. 6a-d. The SEM micrographs for the unirradiated states explained that the rise of the aging time decreases the drop size (18 days for in Figs. 6a and 35 days for in Fig. 6c) on the surface. The SEM images of the drop diameter on the surface decreased with the rise of the number of the drops on the surface as the result of the rise of the ageing time of the used solution at the coating process. The beta irradiation has affected the surface morphology as the changes of the drop size with the rise of the coating layers in Fig. 6b and d. The surface reached more smooter surface as the result of the beta particle interaction with the electron of atoms at the CIGS thin film due to Coulomb effect. The aging of the solution caused the rise of the drops number (on the surface of the film) with the modification of the beta dose. The evaporation effect of the aged solution (for example derived from volatile effect of the aged solution) has decreased the size of the drops with the rise of the elapsed time of the aged solution. This effect has been distinguished clearly with the rise of the coating layers. The slight swelling of the latice volume (resulted with more smooter surface) has indicated a relation about of the number and sizes of the aged solution drops on the modified surface. The slight swelling of the beta-irradiated volume has supported the modification of the drops of the aged solution resulting in the rise of the electrical conductivity.

Keywords

  • CIGS
  • Chalcopyrite
  • Sol-gel
  • Thin film

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