Discovery of the (In2S3)x(MnIn2S4)1-x solid solutions and fabrication of photosensitive structures based on them

A technology of growing single crystals of (In2S3)x(MnIn2S4)1-x solid solutions that provides control over their atomic composition in the entire concentration range 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 is developed. It is shown that, in the range x = 0-1, the single crystals have the cubic spinel structure and the unit cell parameter a follows the linear dependence on x. The exponential character of the temperature dependence of resistivity of solid solutions, on which the first photosensitive Cu/(In2S3)x(MnIn2S4)1-x structures are obtained, is revealed. The first photosensitivity spectra of these structures are obtained, and, based on these spectra, dependences of energy of the direct and indirect band-to-band transitions on the composition x are determined. The possibility of applying these structures in broad-band photoconverters of optical radiation is concluded.