Method for fabrication of copper-indium gallium oxide and chalcogenide thin films

Abstract

A composition of matter having a coated silicon substrate with multiple alternating layers of polydopamine and polyallylamine bound copper-indium-gallium oxide (CIGO) nanoparticles on the substrate. A related composition of matter having polyallylamine bound to CIGO nanoparticles to form PAH-coated CIGO nanoparticles. A related CIGO thin film made via conversion of layer-by-layer assembled CIGO nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes. CIGO nanoparticles are created via a flame-spray pyrolysis method using metal nitrate precursors, subsequently coated with polyallylamine (PAH), and dispersed in aqueous solution. Multilayer films are assembled by alternately dipping a substrate into a solution of either polydopamine or polystyrenesulfonate and then in the CIGO-PAH dispersion to fabricate CIGO films as thick as 1-2 microns.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
         1 . A copper indium gallium oxide thin film made by the method comprising:
 producing copper-indium-gallium oxide (CIGO) nanoparticles via flame spray pyrolysis;   binding the CIGO nanoparticles to a polyamine and dispersing the polyamine-CIGO nanoparticles in an aqueous solution to form a polyamine-CIGO dispersion;   making a polyanion solution; and   dipping a substrate into the polyanion solution and then the polyamine-CIGO dispersion, wherein alternate dipping between the polyanion solution and the coated CIGO dispersion may be repeated multiple times to form a CIGO film.   
     
     
         2 . The copper indium gallium chalcogenide thin film of  claim 1 , additionally comprising oxidizing the CIGO film. 
     
     
         3 . The copper indium gallium chalcogenide thin film of  claim 1 , wherein the polyamine comprises polyallylamine (PAH). 
     
     
         4 . The copper indium gallium chalcogenide thin film of  claim 1 , wherein the polyanion comprises polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) or polydopamine (PDA). 
     
     
         5 . The copper indium gallium chalcogenide thin film of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises silicon, quartz, or molybdenum. 
     
     
         6 . The copper indium gallium chalcogenide thin film of  claim 5 , wherein the silicon or quartz substrate has a coating comprising N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (EDA) and the molybdenum substrate remains uncoated or has a coating of polydopamine (PDA).