CuInS₂ Films for Photovoltaic Applications Deposited by a Low-Cost Method

We report an atmospheric-pressure deposition method for preparing well-adhered and compact CuInS 2 films. The precursor film is obtained by a solution-coating technique and is subjected to a low-cost and safe one-step reduction−sulfurization treatment. A maximum thickness of 300 nm is achieved per layer, and up to three layers were sulfurized at a time. The obtained films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and visible−near-infrared (vis−NIR) spectrophotometry.