Fabrication of crack-free PbS thin films by Jet nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique for enhancing optoelectronic applications: An effect of Ce3+ doping concentrations

Abstract

The current study describes the fabrication of 0, 1, 3, and 5% Ce- doped PbS thin films by Jet nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique (JNSP) for photo-sensing application. XRD spectra revealed the cubic structure of Ce-doped PbS thin films. The crystallite size of PbS decreased with increasing the Ce doping concentration, suggesting the inclusion of the Ce atom into the PbS crystal lattice. FESEM results revealed that the samples had triangle-shaped nanostructured PbS thin films and that Ce doping could change the morphology into an aggregated pattern. The XPS spectra confirmed the presence of Pb, S, and Ce. The optical absorbance of PbS thin films significantly improved with Ce doping. The red shift in the absorption spectrum indicated a decrement in the bandgap value of PbS after adding Ce. Finally, the photo-sensing experiments show that 5% Ce-doped PbS thin films had the highest Ps (2895.21%), R (208.33 mA/W), and D*(3.379 × 1010 Jones) than all other fabricated devices, suggesting that the Ce-doped PbS thin films may be promising photodiode for commercial optoelectronic devices application.