Investigation of beta-In2S3 growth on different transparent conductive oxides

Thin films of beta-In2S3, obtained by physical vapor deposition process fol lowed by a post-annealing, are studied on bare glass substrates and those c oated with SnO2, In2O3 and ZnO transparent conductive oxides (TCOs). These films have an optical band gap of about 2.8 eV, good covering efficiency, a nd n-type conductivity, making them good candidates for buffer layer in CuI nSe2 solar cells. The structural, optical and morphological properties of t hese bilayers have been studied with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron m icroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling, and optical tr ansmission. All results show that our method of synthesis allows us to grow beta-In2S3 films on glass and TCO-coated glass coated substrates. Moreover , these films are exempt from pinholes, cracks, or other morphological defa ults even for very small thickness. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All righ ts reserved.