Electrodeposition and Characterization of CuTe and Cu2Te Thin Films

Wenya He,Hanzhi Zhang,Ye Zhang,Mengdi Liu,Fengchun Yang,Xin Zhang

doi:10.1155/2015/240525

Abstract

An electrodeposition method for fabrication of CuTe and Cu2Te thin films is presented. The films’ growth is based on the epitaxial electrodeposition of Cu and Te alternately with different electrochemical parameter, respectively. The deposited thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FE-SEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyzer, and FTIR studies. The results suggest that the epitaxial electrodeposition is an ideal method for deposition of compound semiconductor films for photoelectric applications.

Highlights

Semiconducting compounds such as I–VI copper chalcogenides are widely used in the fabrication of photoconductive and photovoltaic devices [1]
Thin films of copper chalcogenides especially have been a subject of interest for many years mainly because of their wide range of applications in solar cells [2], superionic conductors [3], photodetectors, photothermal [4] converters [5], electroconductive electrodes [6], and so forth
Copper telluride compounds have gained great interest owing to its superionic conductivity [7], direct band gap between 1.1 and 1.5 eV [8], and large thermoelectric power

Summary

Introduction

Semiconducting compounds such as I–VI copper chalcogenides are widely used in the fabrication of photoconductive and photovoltaic devices [1]. Thin films of copper chalcogenides especially have been a subject of interest for many years mainly because of their wide range of applications in solar cells [2], superionic conductors [3], photodetectors, photothermal [4] converters [5], electroconductive electrodes [6], and so forth. Of these copper chalcogenides, copper telluride compounds have gained great interest owing to its superionic conductivity [7], direct band gap between 1.1 and 1.5 eV [8], and large thermoelectric power.

Experimental

Thin Film Deposition

Thin Film Characterization

Conclusion