Structural and optical properties of CuSe₂ nanocrystals formed in thin solid Cu-Se film

This paper describes the structural and optical properties of Cu-Se thin films. The surface morphology of thin films was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Formation of Cu-Se thin films is concluded to proceed unevenly, in the form of islands which later grew into agglomerates. The structural characterization of Cu-Se thin film was investigated using X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD). The presence of two-phase system is observed. One is the solid solution of Cu in Se and the other is low-pressure modification of CuSe₂. The Raman spectroscopy was used to identify and quantify the individual phases present in the Cu-Se films. Red shift and asymmetry of Raman mode characteristic for CuSe₂ enable us to estimate nanocrystal dimension. In the analysis of the far-infrared reflection spectra, numerical model for calculating the reflectivity coefficient of layered system, which includes film with nanocrystalite inclusions (modeled by Maxwell-Garnett approximation) and substrate, has been applied.