Abstract
Chalcopyrite based (CIGS) thin films have considered to be a promising candidates for industrial applications. The growth of quality CIGS thin films without secondary phases is very important for further efficiency improvements. But, the identification of complex secondary phases present in the entire film is crucial issue due to the lack of powerful characterization tools. Even though X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and normal Raman spectroscopy provide the information about the secondary phases, they provide insufficient information because of their resolution problem and complexity in analyzation. Among the above tools, a normal Raman spectroscopy is better for analysis of secondary phases. However, Raman signal provide the information in 300 nm depth of film even the thickness of film is > $1{\mu}m$. For this reason, the information from Raman spectroscopy can't represent the properties of whole film. In this regard, the authors introduce a new way for identification of secondary phases in CIGS film using depth Raman analysis. The CIGS thin films were prepared using DC-sputtering followed by selenization process in 10 min time under $1{\times}10^{-3}torr$ pressure. As-prepared films were polished using a dimple grinder which expanded the $2{\mu}m$ thick films into about 1mm that is more than enough to resolve the depth distribution. Raman analysis indicated that the CIGS film showed different secondary phases such as, $CuIn_3Se_5$, $CuInSe_2$, InSe and CuSe, presented in different depths of the film whereas XPS gave complex information about the phases. Therefore, the present work emphasized that the Raman depth profile tool is more efficient for identification of secondary phases in CIGS thin film.
