Disclosure of Invention
In view of the defects in the prior art, the invention provides a copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer and a preparation method thereof, and aims to solve the problem that crystal grains in the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer are too small and crystal boundaries are too much in the prior art.
In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:
a preparation method of a copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer comprises the following steps:
providing a substrate, placing the substrate in a co-evaporation chamber, and heating the substrate to a preset temperature;
in a first time period, evaporating Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn and Se simultaneously to evaporate the Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn and Se onto the substrate;
evaporating Zn, Cd, Sn and Se to be evaporated on the substrate at the same time in a second time period;
in a third time period, evaporating Sn and Se simultaneously to evaporate the Sn and the Se to the substrate;
in a fourth time period, evaporating Se to be evaporated on the substrate, and cooling to obtain an evaporation material layer;
and annealing the evaporation material layer to obtain the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer.
In a preferred scheme, the preset temperature is 360-420 ℃, and the annealing temperature for annealing the evaporation material layer is 140-260 ℃.
In a preferred scheme, the time of the first time period is 40min to 45min, the time of the second time period is 7min to 9min, the time of the third time period is 2min to 5min, and the time of the fourth time period is 4min to 7 min.
In a preferred scheme, in the first time period, the atomic ratio of evaporation of Cu to Sn is controlled to be (1.5-1.8): 1, and the atomic ratio of evaporation of Cu to evaporation of Zn and Cd is controlled to be (1.4-1.8): 1.
In a preferred scheme, the vacuum degree in the co-evaporation chamber is controlled to be 1.5 multiplied by 10 in the first time period to the fourth time period-5Pa~3.0×10-4Pa。
In a preferred embodiment, during the fourth time period, a NaF evaporation source is further provided, and NaF and Se are simultaneously evaporated and evaporated onto the substrate.
In a preferred scheme, in the fourth time period, firstly closing to stop evaporating NaF for 1-2 min, and then closing to stop evaporating Se.
In a preferred scheme, in the fourth time period, firstly closing to stop evaporating NaF for 1-2 min, then stopping heating the substrate to cool the substrate to below 300 ℃, and then closing to stop evaporating Se.
The invention also provides the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer prepared by the preparation method.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a short wave infrared detector, comprising:
a substrate;
a bottom electrode layer formed on the substrate;
a light absorbing layer formed on the bottom electrode layer; the light absorption layer is the copper cadmium zinc tin selenium light absorption layer;
a buffer layer formed on the light absorbing layer;
a window layer formed on the buffer layer; and the number of the first and second groups,
a top electrode layer formed on the window layer.
According to the preparation method of the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer, the co-evaporation method is adopted to evaporate Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn and Se elements to obtain an evaporation material layer (precursor material layer), a step-by-step evaporation process is adopted in the co-evaporation process to provide a precursor material growth process from copper-rich to copper-poor, so that larger crystal grains are obtained by precursor growth, and the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer with smaller crystal grains and less crystal boundaries can be obtained by annealing at lower temperature after the precursor material layer is obtained by evaporation. Furthermore, the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer is applied to a short-wave infrared detector, so that the problems of carrier capture and recombination by defects can be reduced, and the efficiency of the detector is improved.
Detailed Description
In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Examples of these preferred embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings and described in accordance with the drawings are exemplary only, and the invention is not limited to these embodiments.
It should be noted that, in order to avoid obscuring the present invention with unnecessary details, only the structures and/or processing steps closely related to the scheme according to the present invention are shown in the drawings, and other details not so relevant to the present invention are omitted.
Example 1
The embodiment provides a preparation method of a copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer and the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer prepared by the method.
Referring to fig. 1, the method for preparing the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer according to the embodiment includes the following steps:
and S10, providing a substrate, placing the substrate in a co-evaporation chamber, and heating the substrate to a preset temperature.
In this embodiment, the substrate is a calcium glass substrate, and the co-evaporation equipment is Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) vacuum coating equipment. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the substrate may also be selected from other substrates commonly used in detectors, such as a silicon substrate; and when the light absorption layer to be prepared is applied to a detector, the substrate may refer to a substrate on which other functional structure layers (e.g., a bottom electrode) are prepared before the light absorption layer is grown. The co-evaporation equipment is provided with a Cu source, a Zn source, a Cd source, a Sn source and a Se source, each material source is provided with a baffle respectively, and whether a certain material is evaporated on a substrate or not is controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the baffle corresponding to the material source.
In this embodiment, the degree of vacuum in the chamber of the co-evaporation apparatus was controlled to 2 × 10-5Pa, heating said substrate to a predetermined temperature, in particular 360 ℃. It should be noted that in other embodiments, the vacuum degree in the co-evaporation chamber can be controlled to be 1.5 × 10-5Pa~3.0×10-4Pa, and the predetermined temperature may be selected to be in the range of 360 ℃ to 420 ℃.
And S20, evaporating Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn and Se to evaporate the Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn and Se to the substrate at the same time in the first time period.
Specifically, a Cu source, a Zn source, a Cd source, a Sn source and a Se source are preheated for 15-20 min to reach an evaporation condition, and then baffles corresponding to the Cu source, the Zn source, the Cd source, the Sn source and the Se source are opened, so that Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn and Se are evaporated at the same time and evaporated on the substrate.
In this embodiment, the time for evaporating and depositing Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, and Se simultaneously is 45min, that is, the time of the first period of time is 45 min. It should be noted that, in some other embodiments, the time of the first period may be set in a range from 40min to 45 min.
In this embodiment, during the first period, the atomic ratio of Cu to Sn evaporation is controlled to be 1.6:1, and the atomic ratio of Cu to (Zn and Cd) evaporation is controlled to be 1.8: 1. In other embodiments, the atomic ratio of Cu to Sn evaporation may be controlled within a range of (1.5-1.8): 1, and the atomic ratio of Cu to (Zn and Cd) evaporation may be controlled within a range of (1.4-1.8): 1 during the first period.
And S30, evaporating Zn, Cd, Sn and Se to the substrate at the same time in a second time period.
Specifically, after step S20 is finished, the shutter corresponding to the Cu source is closed and the shutters corresponding to the Zn source, Cd source, Sn source and Se source are kept open, so that Zn, Cd, Sn and Se continue to evaporate simultaneously onto the substrate, whereby the growth process of the precursor is switched from the copper-rich phase to the copper-poor phase.
In this embodiment, the time for evaporating Zn, Cd, Sn, and Se simultaneously is 8min, that is, the time of the second period of time is 8 min. It should be noted that, in some other embodiments, the time of the second time period may be set within a range of 7min to 9 min.
And S40, evaporating Sn and Se simultaneously to evaporate the Sn and the Se to the substrate in a third time period.
Specifically, after step S30 ends, the shutters corresponding to the Zn source and the Cd source are turned off while the shutters corresponding to the Sn source and the Se source are kept on, so that Sn and Se continue to evaporate simultaneously to be evaporated onto the substrate, thereby continuing to replenish the Sn and Se elements.
In this embodiment, the time for evaporating Sn and Se simultaneously is 2min, that is, the time of the third period is 2 min. It should be noted that, in some other embodiments, the time of the third time period may be set within a range of 2min to 5 min.
And S50, evaporating Se to be evaporated on the substrate in a fourth time period, and cooling to obtain an evaporation material layer.
Specifically, after step S40 ends, the shutter corresponding to the Sn source is turned off while the shutter corresponding to the Se source is kept on, so that Se continues to evaporate and evaporate onto the substrate, thereby continuing to supplement the Se element.
In this embodiment, the time for continuing evaporation and deposition of Se is 6min, that is, the time for the fourth period of time is 6 min. It should be noted that, in some other embodiments, the time of the fourth time period may be set within a range of 4min to 7 min.
In this embodiment, a NaF evaporation source is further provided in the co-evaporation apparatus. And in the fourth time period, a baffle corresponding to the NaF source is also opened, so that NaF and Se are evaporated simultaneously and evaporated onto the substrate. By doping with alkali metals, the grain size of the material layer can be further increased.
In a preferred scheme, in the fourth time period, the NaF is closed to stop evaporating for 1-2 min and then the Se is closed to stop evaporating.
In a more preferable scheme, in the fourth time period, after the NaF is firstly closed and stopped evaporating for 1min to 2min, the substrate is stopped being heated and cooled to below 300 ℃, and then the Se is closed and stopped evaporating.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, during the fourth period of time, NaF and Se are simultaneously evaporated for 5min, then the shutter corresponding to the NaF source is turned off, then the heating of the substrate is stopped to cool the substrate to below 300 ℃, and finally the evaporation of Se is stopped after the shutter is turned off.
And S60, annealing the evaporation material layer to obtain the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer.
Specifically, the evaporation material layer formed in step S50 is cooled to room temperature and then taken out, and then placed in an annealing device for annealing at 160 ℃ for 2 min. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the annealing temperature may be set within a range of 140 ℃ to 260 ℃, and the annealing time may be set within a range of 2min to 5 min.
Fig. 2 is an SEM image of the cdzn-sn-se light absorption layer prepared in this example, and as shown in fig. 2, the cdzn-sn-se light absorption layer of this example has larger crystal grains and fewer grain boundaries.
For comparison, in this example, the copper cadmium zinc tin selenium light absorption layer of the comparative example is prepared by referring to the process steps of the prior art, and the details are as follows:
(1) and co-evaporating Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn and Se on the substrate for 45min by adopting a one-step method under the condition that the substrate temperature is 200 ℃ to obtain a precursor material layer.
(2) And annealing the precursor material layer at the temperature of 500 ℃ for 2min to obtain the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer.
FIG. 3 is an SEM photograph of the Cu-Cd-Zn-Sn-Se light-absorbing layer of the comparative example above. As can be seen from comparison between fig. 2 and fig. 3, in the process of co-evaporating the precursor material layer, the embodiment of the present invention provides a growth process of a copper-rich to copper-poor precursor material by using a step-by-step evaporation process, so that the precursor grows to obtain larger grains, and the optical absorption layer (e.g., the CCZTSe layer in the figure) obtained after annealing has larger grains and fewer grain boundaries.
In the conventional process, the co-evaporation precursor material layer (1) is usually performed at a relatively low temperature (200 ℃ or lower), and the annealing temperature (2) is required to be performed at a relatively high temperature (usually 450 to 550 ℃) in order to obtain a high-quality light absorbing layer. Such a process also brings about the following problems:
when the copper cadmium zinc tin selenium light absorption layer is applied to a photodetector, such as a short-wave infrared detector, the device usually further includes a bottom layer circuit, and after the bottom layer circuit including a thin film transistor (such as a CMOS transistor) is formed, a structure of the photodetector is prepared on the bottom layer circuit, so that when the temperature of the annealing process in the step (2) is too high, the performance of the thin film transistor is degraded, and the performance of the detector is further adversely affected.
In the technical solution of the above embodiment of the present invention, in the step of co-evaporating the precursor material layer, the co-evaporation is performed at a relatively high temperature (as mentioned above, the temperature may be selected within a range of 360 ℃ to 420 ℃), and a growth process of a precursor material rich in copper to poor in copper is provided, so that a larger grain size is obtained in the precursor material, and thus, a subsequent annealing process may be performed at a relatively low temperature (as mentioned above, the temperature may be selected within a range of 140 ℃ to 260 ℃) to obtain a higher-quality light absorption layer, thereby avoiding degradation of the performance of the bottom layer circuit due to an excessively high annealing temperature, and being better compatible with the process of the bottom layer circuit.
Example 2
The embodiment provides a short-wave infrared detector and a preparation method thereof.
As shown in fig. 4, the short-wave infrared detector includes a substrate 1, and a bottom electrode layer 2, a light absorbing layer 3, a buffer layer 4, a window layer 5, and a top electrode layer 6 sequentially disposed on the substrate 1.
In this embodiment, the substrate 1 is a glass substrate, the bottom electrode layer 2 is a molybdenum electrode, the light absorption layer 3 is the cdzn-sn-se light absorption layer as described in embodiment 1, the buffer layer 4 is a CdS buffer layer, and the window layer 5 is made of a transparent conductive material (e.g., aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO)).
In this embodiment, the top electrode layer 6 is a grid electrode including a plurality of sub-electrodes 6a arranged at intervals. Since the window layer 5 of the transparent conductive material has a large area resistance and is not capable of effectively collecting electric charges, the electric charges can be collected more effectively by providing the gate electrode. In a preferred embodiment, the sub-electrode 6a may be configured to include a Ni metal layer, an Al metal layer, and a Ni metal layer sequentially disposed on the window layer 5, forming a Ni/Al/Ni electrode structure. In some other embodiments of the short wave infrared detector, the top electrode layer 6 may be omitted, and the charge collection capability may be improved by increasing the thickness of the window layer 5.
In the short-wave infrared detector of the embodiment, an intrinsic zinc oxide thin film layer (i-ZnO)7 is further arranged between the buffer layer 4 and the window layer 5.
The embodiment also provides a preparation method of the short wave infrared detector, which comprises the following steps:
firstly, a substrate 1 is provided, and a bottom electrode layer 2 is prepared and formed on the substrate 1.
Specifically, in this embodiment, the substrate 1 is selected to be a lime glass substrate, and the material of the bottom electrode layer 2 is molybdenum. The method comprises the steps of firstly cleaning the substrate 1 by using deionized water and a cleaning agent, drying the cleaned substrate 1 by using nitrogen, then baking the substrate 1 for a period of time, and then conveying the substrate 1 to a sputtering chamber. After the substrate 1 is placed in a sputtering chamber, a bottom electrode layer 2 is manufactured on the substrate 1 by adopting a direct current magnetron sputtering process, and the specific process is as follows: molybdenum is adopted as a target material, (1.1), and the molybdenum is circularly sputtered on a substrate 1 for 8 times under the argon atmosphere with the air pressure of 1Pa and the sputtering power of 300W; (1.2) and then, the substrate was subjected to cyclic sputtering at a sputtering power of 800W for 4 times in an argon atmosphere at a pressure of 0.2Pa to prepare a bottom electrode layer 2 having a thickness of 500 nm.
In some further embodiments: the air pressure in the step 1.1 can be set within the range of 1 Pa-3 Pa, and the sputtering power is within the range of 300W-400W; the gas pressure in the step 1.2 may be set in a range of 0.2 to 0.4Pa, and the sputtering power may be set in a range of 800 to 1200W.
And secondly, preparing and forming a copper cadmium zinc tin selenium light absorption layer 3 on the bottom electrode layer 2.
Specifically, referring to the process of example 1, a copper cadmium zinc tin selenium light absorption layer 3 is formed on the bottom electrode layer 2.
And thirdly, preparing and forming a CdS buffer layer 4 on the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer 3 by applying a chemical water bath deposition process. In this embodiment, the reaction solution of the chemical water bath deposition process is a mixed solution of cadmium sulfate, ammonia water, and thiourea, the reaction temperature is set to 69 ℃, and the reaction time is 10 min.
Fourthly, preparing and forming an intrinsic zinc oxide film layer 7 on the CdS buffer layer 4.
Specifically, in this embodiment, the intrinsic zinc oxide layer 7 is deposited on the buffer layer 4 by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The specific process can be as follows: and sputtering the ZnO as a target material on the CdS buffer layer 4 under a vacuum condition at a power of 120W to form an intrinsic zinc oxide layer 7 with a thickness of 250 nm.
And fifthly, preparing and forming a window layer 5 on the intrinsic zinc oxide film layer 7.
Specifically, in this embodiment, the window layer 5 is deposited on the intrinsic zinc oxide thin film layer 7 by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The specific process can be as follows: and sputtering Al and ZnO as targets on the intrinsic zinc oxide film layer 7 under a vacuum condition at 750W to form a window layer 5 with the thickness of 200 nm.
And S60, preparing and forming a top electrode layer 6 on the window layer 5.
In this embodiment, a Ni metal layer, an Al metal layer, and a Ni metal layer are sequentially deposited on the window layer 5, and then a gate electrode including a plurality of sub-electrodes 6a arranged at intervals is formed by an etching process, and each sub-electrode 6a is formed as an electrode structure of Ni/Al/Ni, respectively.
According to the short-wave infrared detector provided by the embodiment of the invention, the light absorption layer is the copper-cadmium-zinc-tin-selenium light absorption layer with large crystal grains and few crystal boundaries, so that the problems of carrier capture and recombination by defects can be reduced, and the efficiency of the detector is improved.
The foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present application and it is noted that numerous modifications and adaptations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the present application and are intended to be within the scope of the present application.