Abstract
Single crystal CuAlSe$_2$ layers were grown on thoroughly etched semi-insulating GaAs(100) substrate at 410 C with hot wall epitaxy (HWE) system by evaporating CuAlSe$_2$ source at 680 C. The crystalline structure of the single crystal thin films was investigated by the photoluminescence(PL) and double crystal X -ray diffraction (DCXD). The carrier density and mobility of single crystal CuAlSe$_2$ thin films measured with Hall effect by van der Pauw method are 9.24${\times}$10$\^$16/ cm$\^$-3/ and 295 cm$^2$/V $.$ s at 293 K, respectively. The temperature dependence of the energy band gap of the CuAlSe$_2$ obtained from the absorption spectra was well described by the Varshni's relation, Eg(T) = 2.8382 eV - (8.86 ${\times}$ 10$\^$-4/ eV/K)T$^2$/(T + 155K). After the as-grown single crystal CuAlSe$_2$ thin films were annealed in Cu-, Se-, and Al-atmospheres, the origin of point defects of single crystal CuAlSe$_2$ thin films has been investigated by PL at 10 K. The native defects of V$\_$cd/, V$\_$se/, Cd$\_$int/, and Se$\_$int/ obtained by PL measurements were classified as donors or acceptors. And we concluded that the heat-treatment in the Cu-atmosphere converted single crystal CuAlSe$_2$ thin films to an optical n-type. Also, we confirmed that Al in CuAlSe$_2$/GaAs did not form the native defects because Al in single crystal CuAlSe$_2$ thin films existed in the form of stable bonds.