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Annealing and deposition temperature dependence of the bandgap of amorphous FeSi2 fabricated by co-sputter deposition

Silicon is not ideal for production of efficient solar cells. -iron disilicide has attracted interest as an optically active, direct-band-gap material which is seen as an important alternative to silicon for photovoltaic devices. However formation of the crystalline phase requires high temperature annealing. This study has shown that our ion-assisted sputter-coating method can produce devices at much lower temperature thereby not only reducing manufacturing costs and saving energy but also offering a more efficient energy source. The study was in collaboration with Surrey University and is one of several subsequent joint papers on other aspects of FeS2