CuSbS2 and Cu3BiS3 thin films by electrodeposition/sulfurization routes

Description

Thin films of CuSbS2 and Cu3BiS3 were produced by conversion of stacked and co-electroplated metal precursors in the presence of elemental sulfur vapour. The reaction sequences have been studied by ex-situ XRD analysis of the processed samples in order to optimise the sulfurisation parameters for achieving compact layers. For equal processing times, it was found that the minimum temperature required for CuSbS2 to appear is substantially lower than for Cu3BiS3, suggesting that interdiffusion across the interfaces of the binary sulfides is a key step in the formation of the ternary compounds. The study placed particular emphasis on the structural, morphological and photoelectrochemical properties of the layers in the context of potential applications in thin film photovoltaics.

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