Characteristics of an Overstressed Discharge of Nanosecond Duration between Electrodes of Chalcopyrite in High Pressure Nitrogen

Abstract

The electrical and optical characteristics of the overstressed nanosecond discharge in nitrogen at a pressure of 202 kPa, which was ignited between electrodes from chalcopyrite (CuInSe2), are presented. Upon sputtering of chalcopyrite electrodes, CuInSe2 compound vapors have been introduced into the discharge plasma. Chalcopyrite molecules were partially destroyed in the plasma and partially deposited in the form of thin films on a quartz substrate, which was placed near the system of discharge electrodes. The main decomposition products of a chalcopyrite molecule in an overstressed nanosecond discharge were found, which were in excited and ionized states and which, in the plasma emission spectra, were mainly represented by atoms and singly charged copper and indium ions. The spectral lines of copper and indium are proposed, which can be used to control the deposition of thin films of chalcopyrite in real time. On quartz substrates, gas-discharge method was used to synthesize thin films based on the CuInSe2 compound, which effectively absorbed light in a wide spectral range (200-800 nm), which opens up prospects for their use in photovoltaic devices.