The optical properties of AgInTe<inf>2</inf> thin films

The optical absorption in electron-beam-evaporated AgInTe2 thin films was studied in the energy range 0.5-2 eV. AgInTe2 was found to be a direct gap semiconductor with a room temperature gap of 1.03±0.01 eV. Another direct transition observed at 1.04±0.01 eV was ascribed to an optical transition from the crystal-field-split valence band to the conduction band minimum. A third direct allowed transition from the spin-orbit-split valence band to the conduction band was identified at 1.77±0.03 eV. An estimate of the p-d hybridization of the uppermost valence bands yields a value of about 15%. © 1983.