Analysis of temperature-dependent transmittance spectra of Zn_0.5In_0.5Se (ZIS) thin films

Temperature-dependent transmission experiments of ZnInSe thin films deposited by thermal evaporation method were performed in the spectral range of 550–950 nm and in temperature range of 10–300 K. Transmission spectra shifted towards higher wavelengths (lower energies) with increasing temperature. Transmission data were analyzed using Tauc relation and derivative spectroscopy. Analysis with Tauc relation was resulted in three different energy levels for the room temperature band gap values of material as 1.594, 1.735 and 1.830 eV. The spectrum of first wavelength derivative of transmittance exhibited two maxima positions at 1.632 and 1.814 eV and one minima around 1.741 eV. The determined energies from both methods were in good agreement with each other. The presence of three band gap energy levels were associated to valence band splitting due to crystal-field and spin–orbit splitting. Temperature dependence of the band gap energies were also analyzed using Varshni relation and gap energy value at absolute zero and the rate of change of gap energy with temperature were determined.