Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T02:34:06.073Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Fabrication of Copper Indium Diselenide Nanowires

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Sovannary Phok
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Kentuky, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, 453 Anderson Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506-0046, United States
Suresh Rajaputra
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Kentuky, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, 453 Anderson Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506-0046, United States
Vijay Singh
Affiliation:
[email protected], University of Kentuky, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, 453 Anderson Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506-0046, United States
Get access

Abstract

Nanostructured semiconductors have received a great deal of attention due to their unusual physical properties. The possibility of controlling these properties by varying the particle size, shape and surface properties is of great interest for nanoscale device applications in microelectronics, non-linear optics and optoelectronics in particular. Copper Indium diselenide (CIS), a p-type semiconductor with a band gap of about 1.04 eV has shown promise as an absorber for photovoltaic cells. Polycrystalline CIS film has been fabricated by various physical and chemical techniques over the past couple of decades. However, the preparation of nanostructured CIS is still challenging due to the fact that CIS tends to agglomerate resulting in large grains. Furthermore, an annealing step is also required to improve the film properties, which results in increased grain size. Here we report a simple, low cost solution to this problem through electrochemical deposition of CIS into the confined nanopores of an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. The nanoporous aluminum oxide template, a few microns thick was prepared by either a one step or a two anodization in oxalic acidic media. CIS was deposited into the nanoporous AAO template by pulsed cathodic electro-deposition from an aqueous mixture. The electrodeposited nanowires had diameter ranging up to 40 nm and length ranging from 600 nm to 5 μm depending on the length of the template. The hybrid nanostructured CIS/AAO was annealed in vacuum at 230ºC for several hours to achieve stoichiometric CuInSe2 phase. The embedded CIS nanowires were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The optical bandgap was deduced from UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy measurements.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Singh, R. S., Sanagapalli, S., Jayaraman, V., Singh, V. P., J. Nanosci. Nanotech. 4, 176 (2004).10.1166/jnn.2004.049Google Scholar
2. Singh, R. S., Rangari, V. K., Sanagapalli, S., Jayaraman, V., Mahendra, S., Singh, V. P., Sol. Energy Mat. Sol Cells 82, 315 (2004).10.1016/j.solmat.2004.02.006Google Scholar
3. Aguilera, A., Jayaraman, V., Sanagapalli, S., Singh, R. S., Jayaraman, Vis., Sampson, K., Singh, V. P., Sol. Energy Mat. Sol Cells 90, 713 (2006).Google Scholar
4. Srivastava, A. K., Singh, R. S., Sampson, K. E., Singh, V. P., Ramanujan, R. V., Metal. Mat. Trans. A 38A, 717 (2007).10.1007/s11661-007-9096-7Google Scholar
5. Xia, Y., Yang, P., Wu, Y., Mayers, B., Gates, B., Yin, Y., Kim, F., Yan, H., Adv. Mater. 15, 353 (2003).Google Scholar
6. Ramanathan, K., Contreras, M. A., Perkins, C. L., Asher, S., Hasoon, F. S., Keane, J., Young, D., Romero, M., Metzger, W., Noufi, R., Ward, J., Duda, A., Prog. Photovolt: Res. Appl. 11, 225 (2003).10.1002/pip.494Google Scholar
7. Muller, J., Nawoczin, J. N., Schmitt, H., Thin Solid Films 496, 30 (2006).Google Scholar
8. Phok, S., Rajaputra, S., Singh, V. P., Nanotechnology 18, 475601 (2007).10.1088/0957-4484/18/47/475601Google Scholar