Structures and Optical Properties of Sm-Doped CuInTe2 Semiconductor

Abstract

Since the rare earth based compounds have shown excellent properties such as luminescence and photo-electric transformation effect due to their 4f electronic structures. A novel Sm-doped CuIn1-xSmxTe2 semiconducting compounds have been designed and their crystal structures, microstructures and optical properties have been investigated using X-ray diffraction(XRD), scan electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometer and Raman scattering. The results reveal that the doping of samarium into CuInTe2 (CIT) could stabilize the chalcopyrite structure, the lattice parameters shows fluctuation phenomenon with doping Sm in CIT. The SEM morphologies show that the grains tend to be agglomeration and form the column-like or the flake-like single crystals. The band gap Eg are corresponding to 1.25eV and 1.32eV before and after doping Sm with 0.1 mole into CuInTe2. Raman scattering analysis proves that Sm significantly adjusts the atomic vibrating models, and result in the losses of some vibrating peaks. It reveals that doping of Sm into CuInTe2 is helpful for the absorption of spectra with special frequencies.