Electrical Properties of the Ordered Defect Compound CuIn3Se5

Abstract

The electrical properties of n and p‐type bulk samples of CuIn3Se5 have been studied in the temperature range from 80 to 300 K. From the analysis of the temperature dependence of electron and hole concentrations in the activation regime above 110 K, the activation energy and the density of states effective mass of the charge carriers are estimated to be 36 meV and 0.13me for n‐type samples, and 28 meV and 1.07me for p‐type samples, respectively. The relatively low value of the carrier concentration in n‐CuIn3Se5 and the value in p‐CuIn3Se5 being of the same magnitude as in CuInSe2 confirms that this compound is formed due to the presence of ordered arrays of electrically inactive donor–acceptor defect pairs (2 VCu1— + InCu2+). Below 110 K, the electrical conduction in the impurity band is due to nearest neighbor hopping mechanism. The relatively low magnitude of the electron mobility and its temperature dependence in the activation regime is explained by considering, in addition to the well‐established scattering processes, a mechanism that involves the scattering of the charge carriers by ordered arrays of donor–acceptor defect pairs. At lower temperatures, the variation of the mobility is explained by taking into account the theoretical model for the thermally activated nearest neighbor hopping of the charge carriers between localized states in the impurity band.

Structural, optical, electrical, and low temperature thermoelectric studies on the ordered vacancy compound AgGa3Se5

“…The sharp reflection from the (112) plane indicates the chalcopyrite structure of the AGS films with the preferred orientation of grains along the (110) plane. The sharp reflection corresponding to 2 θ = 22.15° is not reported elsewhere in polycrystalline AGS films with tetragonal chalcopyrite structure, whereas (110) reflections corresponding to 2 θ ∼ 22° are the characteristic of OVC of CIS 12. On comparing with JCPDS files no binary phase formation is seen and therefore the presence of (110) peak can be suggested as a structural modification in these AGS films due to the variation of compositional ratio of Ag, Ga, and Se, which is also affirmed by EDAX measurements.…”

“…Hot‐probe analysis indicates n‐type conductivity in all the samples of AGS films suggesting silver vacancies in the compound, just as in the case of CuIn 3 Se 5 films where n‐type conductivity has been observed due to copper vacancies 12. The room temperature electrical resistivity is found to be 10 −1 Ω m, which is less than that reported for AgGaSe 2 films 15.…”

Crystal Growth, Structural and Optical Studies of CuGa<sub>3</sub>Se<sub>5</sub> Bulk Compounds

“…These ODCs, like Cu(In 1−x Ga x ) 3 Se 5 , generally possess wider gap and the formation of ternary Cu-In-Ga-Se compounds with varying gaps enables the formation of hetero-junctions used in the design of high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. Ternary semiconductor compound CuGa 3 Se 5 (when x = 1) is a promising material for creation on its basis of a number of semiconductor devices, such as infra-red and visible radiation sources, high-efficient solar cells and other devices of semiconductor and quantum electronics [5]- [7]. The present work prepared the samples of CuGa 3 Se 5 (when x = 1) by the horizontal Bridgman methods [8] [9] using a direct combination of high purity 5 N for Cu, 6 N for Se and Ga.…”

10.1007/s10789-008-2004-8

“…Single crystals of CuGa 3 Se 5 , a ternary compound of the A I ( m = 3-5 ; n = 5-8) family, are receiving a great deal of attention as candidate materials for visible-light and IR emitters, high-efficiency solar cells, and other semiconductor and quantum-electronic devices [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Most compounds of this family crystallize in a defect-chalcopyrite structure (sp.…”