PYRITE THIN-FILMS - IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES BY ANNEALING AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES IN A SULFUR ATMOSPHERE

Iron pyrite thin films prepared by flash evaporation of pyrite powder have been annealed at different temperatures in a sulfur atmosphere. We present some results on the influence of the annealing temperature (from 250 to 450-degrees-C) on the optical and electrical properties of three groups of samples with different thicknesses (congruent-to 0.3, 0.6, and 1 mum, respectively). Sulfuration temperature has a clear influence on the optical absorption and electrical resistivity of the films, with some differences in their behavior depending on the film thickness. In light of the available present knowledge of pyrite thin films, interpretation of the obtained results is difficult, it suggests that the shape of the optical absorption curves (and their absorption edge) at low photon energies is determined by the density of point defects, which decreases on increasing the annealing temperature. On the other hand, the electrical resistivity seems to be influenced by both the film grain size and point defect density.