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Annealing effects of the untreated and sulfur‐treated electrodeposited n‐type and p‐type cuprous oxide thin films
Author(s) -
Jayathilaka K. M. D. C.,
Kumara L. S. R.,
Song C. H.,
Kohara S.,
Sakata O.,
Kapaklis V.,
Siripala W.,
Jayanetti J. K. D. S.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.201552664
Subject(s) - sulfur , oxide , photocurrent , annealing (glass) , materials science , inorganic chemistry , thin film , chemistry , metallurgy , nanotechnology , optoelectronics
The n‐type and p‐type cuprous oxide thin films were electrodeposited potentiostatically in acetate and lactate baths, respectively. Sulfur treatment of n‐type and p‐type cuprous oxide surfaces were achieved using gaseous (NH 4 ) 2 S. Sulfur‐treated Cu 2 O films were annealed in air at 100, 150, 200, 250, 350, and 450 °C for unique times to obtain the best photocurrent. Unannealed and annealed samples of sulfur‐treated and untreated cuprous oxide were then investigated using high‐energy X‐ray diffraction (HEXRD). The HEXRD measurements and the pair distribution function (PDF) analysis revealed that the sulfur treatment leads to the formation of crystalline CuS on Cu 2 O film surfaces. The present study also shows that the sulfur treatment causes minor structural changes in Cu 2 O samples due to the formation of CuS. It was observed that the sulfur‐treated cuprous oxide samples retarded the formation of CuO at higher temperatures showing good thermal stability and enhancement of the photoactivity of the n‐type and p‐type cuprous oxides.