Electrodeposition of indium phosphide from an ionic liquid for photovoltaics

In this study the suitability of 1:2 choline chloride/urea Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) for the electrodeposition of indium phosphide (InP) has been investigated. Deposition temperature was kept constant at 80°C to favor mass transfer rate and to lower viscosity of the solution. XRD patterns demonstrated presence of indium (In) only. On the contrary, EDX analyses revealed presence of indium (In) along with very small amount of phosphorous (P) from some deposits. An alternative way of producing InP was also examined in this study. That was electrodeposition of pure In from 1:2 choline chloride/urea Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) and subsequent phosphorization in phosphine (PH3) gas. The XRD patterns confirmed the formation of InP. Optical characterizations of the phosphorized sample (Photoluminescence (PL) and Time-Resolved Photoluminescence (TRPL)) showed promising results for its use as photovoltaic (PV) application.