Growth paths for the sulfurization of Cu-rich Cu/In thin films

In-situ energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction performed at the BESSY and HASY-LAB synchrotron facilities was used to observe sulfur pressure dependent growth paths for the formation of CuInS2 thin films from Cu-rich metallic precursors. CuInS2 can form directly from the intermetallic phases, through binary sulfides or via CuIn5S8. Particular attention is given to the latter reaction sequence, typical of rapid thermal processing (RTP), with complementary EDS and SEM analysis.