Structural and optical properties of CuIn 1-x Ga x Se 2 nanoparticles synthesized by solvothermal route

Syntheses and Characterizations of CuIn1-xZnxSe2 Chalcopyrite Nanoparticles

“…The decrease in the crystallite size is probably due to the small ion size of Zn 2+ (radius = 0.74 Å) compared to that of In 3+ (radius = 0.81 Å). These results are similar to those obtained with CuInGaSe powders [11] and radiofrequency (RF)-sputtered CuInZnS thin films [14], where the incorporation of impurities as Zn or Ga in the CuInSe 2 compound reduced the intensity of the peaks and the grain sizes from 24.8 to 22.5 nm. The behavior of Zn is the same as the behavior of Ga in CuInSe powders.…”

“…Therefore, the band gap of these compounds increases [31]. All these results show that the role of zinc is identical to that of aluminum in Cu (In, Al) Se 2 powders [32,33] as well as gallium in Cu (In, Ga) Se 2 powders [11,31,34,35]. In the latter case, Zn is cheaper than Ga concerning the ease of acquisition because it is a natural component of the Earth's crust and is an integral part of our environment, while Ga is a rare chemical element.…”

“…The X-ray diagrams of the CuInZnSe powders presented in Figure 2 show that all the powders crystallized with a tetragonal chalcopyrite structure, confirmed by the presence of well-defined peaks at (112), (220), (312), (400), (332) and (228) and low-intensity peaks at (101) and (103). Another characteristic that can be obtained from the diffraction data is the decrease in the intensity of the diffraction peaks when the molar fraction of Zn x is increased [11]. This observed result indicates a better crystallinity for low Zn x atomic component in the CuInZnSe nanopowders.…”

“…In nature, gallium is present only to a small extent and mainly as a mixture in aluminum, zinc or germanium ores; gallium minerals are very rare. well as gallium in Cu (In, Ga) Se2 powders [11,31,34,35]. In the latter case, Zn is cheaper than Ga concerning the ease of acquisition because it is a natural component of the Earth's crust and is an integral part of our environment, while Ga is a rare chemical element.…”

Magnetron Sputter-Deposited β-Ga2O3 Films on c-Sapphire Substrate: Effect of Rapid Thermal Annealing Temperature on Crystalline Quality

“…Figure 3f shows the strain (ε) due to crystal imperfections and distortions of the Ga 2 O 3 films that were annealed at 600, 700, 800, and 900 • C, as calculated using the equation ε = ω/4tanθ, where ω is the FWHM of the predominant diffraction peak and θ is the Bragg angle corresponding to the diffraction peak obtained from the XRD data [45][46][47]. The strains along the (-402) orientation decreased from a maximum of 8.562 × 10 −3 at 600 • C to a minimum of 6.187 × 10 −3 at 900 • C. With an increase in the annealing temperature from 600 to 900 • C and a relaxation in the compressive strain, an increasing number of Ga 3+ ions occupied the oxygen tetrahedral sites from the oxygen octahedral sites; therefore, the volume of the unit cell showed the slightly volumetric contraction at 700 • C although the compressive strain released rapidly, while volumetric expansion occurred for compact structures at 800-900 • C as the compressive strain released, as shown in Figure 3e,f.…”