Electrochemical Nanostructuring of CuInS2 Bulk Crystals

Abstract

We show that chalcopyrite CuInS2 crystals can be nanostructured by electrochemical treatment in an aqueous HCl solution. In order the crystals to become suitable for electrochemical nanostructuring they are subjected to thermal treatment either in vacuum or in Zn vapors. The morphology of the producedmaterial and the diameter of pores are found to be a function of the resistivity of samples attained after thermal treatment. The pore diameter can vary in the range from 50 nm to 1 m. The influence of thermal treatment and electrochemical etching on the photoluminescence spectra is analyzed. It is shown that nanopatterned surfaces can be produced either by short duration electrochemical etching, or by longer treatment followed by sonication.