The use of Soluble Metal-Polyselenide Complexes as Precursors to Binary and Ternary Solid Metal Selenides
ABSTRACTThe use of several soluble metal polychalcogenides to prepare solid state materials is presented. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) data, under inert atmosphere, of the molecular compounds (Ph4P)2[Cd(Se4)2], (Ph4P)4[Cu2Se14], (Ph4P)2[Cu4Se12], (Ph4P)4[In2Se21] and (Et4N)3[M3Se15], (M=In, TI), show that the corresponding binary solid state compounds are formed as single phases at temperatures as low as 530°C. We have grown films of CdSe, Cu2-xSe, β-In2Se3, TISe and CuInSe2 using these complexes as precursors. The films were prepared by pyrolysis of green precursor films, cast from DMF solutions. CuInSe2 was prepared by co-thermolysis of Cu/Sex and In/Sex complexes. The chemical, X-ray, spectroscopic and electron microscopic characterization of these molecular precursor-derived films as well as their charge transport characterization is reported.