Studies on interface between In <inf>2</inf> O <inf>3</inf> and CuInTe <inf>2</inf> thin films

Interface between dc sputtered In 2 O 3 and stepwise flash evaporated CuInTe 2 films were studied by probing Si/In 2 O 3 /CuInTe 2 and Si/CuInTe 2 /In 2 O 3 structures with the help of glancing angle X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that in Si/In 2 O 3 /CuInTe 2 structure, a ∼20 nm thick interface consisting of In, Cu and O had formed between In 2 O 3 and CuInTe 2 and was attributed to the diffusion of Cu from CuInTe 2 into In 2 O 3 film. On the other hand, in Si/CuInTe 2 /In 2 O 3 structure, homogeneity of the underlying CuInTe 2 film was found lost completely. An estimate of the masses of the constituent elements showed that the damage was caused by loss of Te from CuInTe 2 film during the growth of In 2 O 3 film on Si/CuInTe 2 .