Effect of Substrates on CuInSe₂ Nanoparticle Thin Films by Radio Frequency Reactive Sputtering

CuInSe₂ (CIS) nanoparticle thin films have been prepared by rf reactive magnetron sputtering from compound ternary fan-shaped targets on low temperature substrates with pure argon gas as the atmosphere. The stoichiometry of the ternary compound semiconductor quantum dots can be easily controlled by the ratios of the ternary elements and sputtering parameters. CIS nanoparticle thin films regularly shaped and distributed reasonably uniform in size on substrates of 7059 glass etc can be grown in this way. The average particle diameter can be varied between 40 and 80 nm by appropriate choice of the substrate temperature, power density and total CIS coverage. The optical and electrical properties of the CIS films have also been studied.