Characterization of CuGa1−xTixS2 thin films synthesized by a facile non vacuum method

In present paper, a promising intermediate band (IB) material of CuGaS2 thin films incorporating with titanium (Ti) have been successfully fabricated by a facile non-vacuum method. Binary sulfides used as raw material are firstly tried to fabricate Ti-substituted CuGaS2 thin films via ball milling and spin-coating technique. The experimental measurements showed that the obtained Cu2Ga1−xTixS2 thin films are composed of chalcopyrite structure with well crystallinity. A slightly left shift of (1 1 2) diffraction peaks indicated the successful doping of Ti element. The Hall Effect measurement exhibited the carrier concentration raised obviously from 1.538 × 1012 (x = 0) to 1.134 × 1013 cm−3 (x = 0.06) with increasing of Ti doping concentration. More important, the UV-vis-NIR spectra exhibited a strong optical absorption in Ti-substituted CuGaS2 films, which indicated the IBs were roughly formed in the films.