STUDY ON AlSb POLYCRYSTALLINE THIN FILMS PREPARED BY VACUUM CO-EVAPORATION

Abstract

In this paper, the AlSb polycrystalline thin films were prepared by vacuum co-evaporation technology and their structural, optical and electrical properties have been studied. XRD results showed that the as-deposited AlSb amorphous thin films transformed to polycrystalline state after annealed in vacuum at temperatures higher than 540°C. The process of phase change was observed to depend on the annealing temperature and the film composition. Some irreversible changes took place in the annealed films during the measurement of the temperature dependence of the film conductance. The conductance activation energy of the film was 0.132 and 0.32 eV during the heating and cooling process, respectively, which suggests the decrease of Sb vacancies in the AlSb film after the heating. Hall effect and optical absorption measurement showed that the AlSb polycrystalline thin films were p-type, indirect bandgap semiconductors with absorption coefficient higher than 8 × 104 cm -1. TCO/CdS/AlSb photovoltaic devices with the local open circuit voltage of over 200 mV have been fabricated.