Amorphous selenium thin films prepared using chemical bath deposition: optimization of the deposition process and characterization

Amorphous selenium films were prepared at room temperature using the simple and safe method of chemical bath deposition. This was achieved with an acidified solution of Na2SeSO3 at a pH value of 4.5. In order to confirm the formation of amorphous selenium (a-Se), samples were characterized using x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy and optical absorption studies. The optical bandgap of the material was found to be 2.09 eV. Indium selenide could be prepared by annealing this a-Se in a multilayer structure glass/SnO2/a-Se/In.