Differences between surface and bulk refractive indices of a-InxSe1−x

Thin films of amorphous indium selenide compounds (a-InxSe1−x) are important, e.g. for photovoltaics. The feature of merit in such applications is also the real part of refractive index n of this material. The data on n in literature are divergent. In this paper, the results of investigations on n in the bulk as well as in the interface layers of thin films of a-InxSe1−x are presented. The measurements had been performed using optical transmittance and reflectance in spectral range from 1.24 to 1.96 eV of linear polarized radiation that hit the samples with angles of incidence from 0° to 80°. Investigations had been done for sample temperatures from 80 to 340 K. It was found that the refractive index for areas at the free surface nf is bigger than the refractive index nb at the interface of thin film-substrate. The averaged over thin film thickness value of real part refractive index n¯ have the biggest value in all spectral range. Values of these coefficients increase with increasing the temperature.