Chemically Deposited Se Thin Films and Their Use as a Planar Source of Selenium for the Formation of Metal Selenide Layers

Selenium thin films of thickness were deposited from a solution of sodium selenosulfate of pH 4.5. These films are amorphous, but they are crystalline and photoconductive through annealing for at . In this paper we present the properties of these films and their use as a planar source of selenium vapor ( of the film) to react with metal films to form metal selenide layers. For this, metal films of Ag, Sn, In, Cu, Sb, etc., deposited by thermal evaporation, are kept in contact with the Se-thin film and are heated at temperatures typically in nitrogen. This process leads to the formation of thin films of , , , , , etc. Se–metal reaction also takes place under microwave heating. In the case of an evaporated Ag film on a chemically deposited thin film of , is produced through heating at . Photovoltaic structures fabricated this way show open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density of .