Effect of temperature on structural, optical and photoluminescence properties of polycrystalline CuInS2 thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Copper indium disulphide (CuInS2), is a good absorber material for photovoltaic applications. In this work, CuInS2 is deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis on heated glass substrates. It is observed that the film growth temperature and the ion ratio Cu/In affects the structural and optical properties of CuInS2 thin films. This paper presents the effect of temperature on the growth (for the ion ratio Cu/In=1.25), optical and photoluminescence properties of sprayed CuInS2 films. The XRD patterns confirm the well defined single phase composition of CuInS2 films grown from 300 to 350 °C (at Cu/In=1.25) as optimum temperature for depositing well defined crystallites along (1 1 2) oriented CuInS2 thin films with chalcopyrite structure. D2d point symmetry group is associated with the CuInS2 crystallites with energy gap of 1.53 eV at room temperature. The chemical nature and the presence of additional phases are discussed based on the EDAX measurements. The absorption coefficient of sprayed CuInS2 films is found to be in the order of 105–106 cm−1 in the UV–visible region and the optical band gap decreases with increase in temperature. Defects-related photoluminescence properties are also discussed. CuInS2 polycrystalline films are prepared by the cost effective method of spray pyrolysis from the aqueous solutions of copper (II) chloride, indium (III) chloride and thiourea for synthesis on heated glass substrates.