GROWTH, CHARACTERIZATION AND MOSSBAUER SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF COPPER INDIUM CHALCOSTANNATES

Quaternary chalcogenides of general composition CuInSnX4VI (X(VI) = 0, S, Se, Te) were prepared by the melt and anneal technique and charact erized by SEM, DTA and X-ray examinations. The results of these invest igations and of a Sn-119 Mossbauer spectroscopic study , showed that t he characteristics of homogeneity and single phase were restricted to the sulfide and the selenide. CuInSnS4 , which is a disordered cubic s pinel compound , was grown by temperature gradient annealing of polycr ystalline samples. Single crystals of CuInSnSe4 , which exhibits a def ect chalcopyrite structure, were obtained by fast cooling from the mel t. The chemical composition of polycrystalline samples and grown cryst als was checked by EDS measurements.