Compositional dependence of the optical properties of amorphous Sb2Se3−xSx thin films

Thin films of Sb2Se3−xSx solid solutions (x = 0, 1, 2, and 3) were deposited by thermal evaporation of presynthesized materials on glass substrates held at room temperature. The films compositions were confirmed by using energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX). X-ray diffraction studies revealed that all the as-deposited films as well as those annealed at Ta < 423 K have amorphous phase. The optical constants (n, k) and the thickness (t) of the films were determined from optical transmittance data, in the spectral range 500–2500 nm, using the Swanepoel method. The dispersion parameters were determined from the analysis of the refractive index. An analysis of the optical absorption spectra revealed an Urbach’s tail in the low absorption region, while in the high absorption region an indirect band gap characterizes the films with different compositions. It was found that the optical band gap energy increases quadratically as the S content increases.