XPS and Raman study of slope-polished Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin films

Abstract

The growth of quality Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ photovoltaic absorber without secondary phases is very important for improving the solar cell efficiency. Although X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy can identify the secondary phases, they provide insufficient information because of their insufficient resolution and complexity in analysis. In general, normal Raman spectroscopy is better for the analysis of secondary phases. On the other hand, the Raman signal provides information for film depths of less than 300 nm, and the Raman information cannot represent the properties of the entire film. In this regard, the authors introduce a new way of identifying secondary phases in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ films using depth Raman analysis. The as-prepared film was polished using a dimple grinder, which expanded a 2 μm thick film to approximately 1 mm, which is more than sufficient to resolve the depth distribution. Raman analysis indicated that the Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ film showed different secondary phases, such as CuIn₃Se₅, InSe and CuSe, present in different depths of the film, whereas XPS provided complex information about the phases. Overall, the present study emphasizes that the Raman depth profile is more efficient for the identification of secondary phases in Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin films than XPS and XRD.