Major Role of Annealing Temperature Effect on the Structural Pathways, Optical Properties, Sheet Resistance, Quality Factor, and Electronic Parameters of Selenium-Rich Ge15Se85 Pristine Thin Film for Optoelectronic Applications

Abstract

A thin film's microstructural and optical properties are essential for the development of optoelectronic devices. As a result, the thermal evaporation of selenium-rich Ge15Se85 (SR-GeSe with thickness of 250 nm) thin films was investigated for improving these properties. The films fabricated in a pure nitrogen-rich atmosphere were annealed in the thermal temperature range between 200oC and 300oC for 30 minutes. The microstructural, compositional, and optical characteristics of these films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with the energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), and UV-Vis-INR spectrophotometers. In accordance with the XRD patterns, the as-prepared films were in an amorphous state, while the annealed films were in the polycrystalline style. In annealed films, crystalline phases with hexagonal orientations were formed. Crystallographic parameters were significantly affected by thermally induced effects. As seen from the surface morphology, the films were nearly densely packed, homogeneous, smooth, uniform, and free from holes and voids. In the thin films of SR-GeSe, the band gap and Urbach energies behaved oppositely. Amorphous-crystalline transitions and the Mott-Davis model were used to explain the studied optical properties. The single oscillator for Wimple-DiDomenico (WDD) model described the refractive index scattering whose parameters were determined as a function of annealing temperature. By adjusting the thermal annealing process, the microstructural and optical properties of SR-GeSe thin films were improved, indicating their suitability for thermo-optic applications. On the other side, the electronic parameters including the energies of Plasmon, Penn, Fermi and the number of active electrons were computed.

Country : Yemen

1 Mehdi Ahmed Dabban2 Tawfik Mahmood Mohammed Ali3 Abdel-naser A. M. Alfaqeer

  1. Associate Professor, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, University of Aden, Yemen
  2. Associate Professor, Physics Department, Faculty of Education, University of Aden, Yemen
  3. Associate Professor, Physics Department, Faculty of Science and Education, Saba Region University, Yemen

IRJIET, Volume 7, Issue 3, March 2023 pp. 36-49

doi.org/10.47001/IRJIET/2023.703006

References

  1. Mehta, N. "Applications of chalcogenide glasses in electronics and optoelectronics: a review." Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research, 65 (2006), 777-786.
  2. Ahluwalia, GurinderKaur, ed. "Applications of chalcogenides: S, Se, and Te." (2017): 978-3.
  3. Wei, W. H., Wang, R. P., Shen, X., Fang, L., & Luther-Davies, B. "Correlation between structural and physical properties in Ge–Sb–Se glasses." The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 117.32 (2013): 16571-16576.
  4. Solieman, Ahmed S., et al. "Dependence of optical properties on the thickness of amorphous Ge30Se70 thin films." Journal of Taibah University for Science 8.3 (2014): 282-288.
  5. Li, X., Liang, Z., Kleiner, M., & Lu, Z. L. "RTbox: A device for highly accurate response time measurements." Behavior research methods 42.1 (2010): 212-225.
  6. Alzaid, Meshal, et al. "Extraction of thickness, linear and nonlinear optical parameters of Ge20+xSe80-x thin films at normal and slightly inclined light for optoelectronic devices." Optical Materials 110 (2020): 110539.
  7. Alqahtani, A., et al. "Zinc-induced changes on structural pathways, optical parameters, optical constants extracted by Kramers-Kronig Formulas, Photoluminescence Spectra and photovoltaic characteristics of n-Cd50-xZnxS50/i-AgSe/p-Si solar cells." Optical Materials 134 (2022): 113055.
  8. AL-Maqate, Faisal G., et al. "Profundity study on structural and optical properties of heavy oil fly ash (HOFA) doped calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanostructures and thin films for optoelectronic applications." Optical Materials 131 (2022): 112719.
  9. Qasem, Ammar, et al. "Adapting the structural, optical and thermoelectrical properties of thermally annealed silver selenide (AgSe) thin films for improving the photovoltaic characteristics of the fabricated n-AgSe/p-CdTe solar cells." Journal of Alloys and Compounds 899 (2022): 163374.
  10. Alshahrani, B., et al. "The Pivotal Role of Thermal Annealing of Cadmium Telluride Thin Film in Optimizing the Performance of CdTe/Si Solar Cells." Journal of Electronic Materials 50.8 (2021): 4586-4598.
  11. Elsaeedy, H. I., et al. "The significant role of ZnSe layer thickness in optimizing the performance of ZnSe/CdTe solar cell for optoelectronic applications." Optics & Laser Technology 141 (2021): 107139.
  12. Liu, Shun-Chang, et al. "GeSe thin-film solar cells." Materials Chemistry Frontiers 4.3 (2020): 775-787.
  13. Chen, Binwen, et al. "Magnetron sputtering deposition of GeSe thin films for solar cells." Solar Energy 176 (2018): 98-103.
  14. Pandey, V., S. K. Tripathi, and A. Kumar. "Effect of in incorporation on optical properties of amorphous Se–Ge thin films." Physica B: Condensed Matter 388.1-2 (2007): 200-205.
  15. Bakr, N., M. Aziz, and M. Hammam. "Structural properties of GexSe1-x thin films prepared by semi-closed space technique." Egypt J Sol 23 (2000): 45.
  16. Alnajjar, AbdallaAbdelaziz. "The role of thermal treatment on the optical properties of Ge0.15Se0.85 system." Renewable energy 34.1 (2009): 71-74.
  17. M. Rashada, A. Mossad Ali, H.H. Somaily, H. Algarnl, D. Hamad, A.A. Hendid and M.M. Hafiz. "Microwave irradiation effects on structural and optical investigations of nanostructured Ge25Se75 glassy films"  Acta Physica Polonica A, 138 (2020). 434-439.
  18. S.I. Qashou, A.M. Ali, H.H. Somaily, H. Algarn, M.M. Hafiz, M. Rashad, "Linear and nonlinear optical investigations of Ge25Se75 thin films at different annealing temperatures", Physica B: Physics of Condensed Matter (2021), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2021.413351.
  19. Alqahtani, A., et al. "A profound analysis of structural, thermal, optical, and electrical properties of Cd50Pb30S20 composition for optoelectronic devices: implications of changes in film’s thickness." Optical and Quantum Electronics 55 (2023): 18.
  20. Qasem, Ammar, et al. "Determination of optical bandgap energy and optical characteristics of Cd30Se50S20 thin film at various thicknesses." Optics & Laser Technology 148 (2022): 107770.
  21. H. Mahfoz Kotb, M.A. Dabban, F.M. Abdel-Rahim, A.Y. Abdel-latif, M.M. Hafiz, "Thermally induced effects on structural and electrical properties of selenium-rich Cd-Se thin films",  Physica B: Condensed Matter,  406 (2011) 1326-1329.
  22. H. Mahfoz Kotb, M.A. Dabban, A.Y. Abdel-latif, M.M. Hafiz, "Annealing temperature dependence of the optical and structural properties of selenium-rich Cd-Se thin films",  Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 512 (2012), 115-120.
  23. El-Korashy, A., H. El-Zahed, and M. Radwan. "Optical studies of [N (CH3)4]2CoCl4,[N (CH3) 4]2MnCl4 single crystals in the normal paraelectric phase." Physica B: Condensed Matter 334.1-2 (2003): 75-81.
  24. Ahmed, Moustafa, et al. "The main role of thermal annealing in controlling the structural and optical properties of ITO thin film layer." Optical Materials 113 (2021): 110866.
  25. Naim, Abdullah FAL, et al. "The main role of bismuth in controlling linear and nonlinear optical, electronic and electrical parameters of Se–Ge–Bi thin films." Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics 32.6 (2021): 6866-6882.
  26. Abdulnasser Alfaqeer, Ahmed lrebati, Mehdi Dabban, "Extraction of Optical Constants and Dispersion Parameters of CdTe/CdSe Bi-Layer Thin Films" The scientific Journal of university of Saba region,  Vo. 5 No. 1 -December 2022.
  27. Shaaban, E. R., et al. "Investigation of Structural and Optical Properties of Amorphous-Crystalline Phase Transition of As40S45Se15 Thin Films."Acta Physica Polonica, A. 136.3 (2019).
  28. Shaaban, Essam R., et al. "Optical constants, dispersion parameters and non-linearity of different thickness of As40S45Se15 thin films for optoelectronic applications." Optik 186 (2019): 275-287.
  29. Soraya, M. M., et al. "Indium incorporation effects on optical properties of quaternary chalcognide Se-Zn-Te-In films." Chalcogenide Letters 17.3 (2020): 133-145.
  30. Kumar, V., and B. S. R. Sastry. "Heat of formation of ternary chalcopyrite semiconductors." Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 66, no. 1 (2005): 99-102.
  31. Phillips, J. C. "Bonds and Bands in Semiconductors (Academic Press, New York, 1973).".
  32. Gupta, V. P., V. K. Srivastava, and P. N. L. Gupta. "Electronic properties of chalcopyrites." Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 42, no. 12 (1981): 1079-1085.
  33. Reddy, R. R., Y. Nazeer Ahammed, K. Rama Gopal, P. Abdul Azeem, T. V. R. Rao, and P. Mallikarjuna Reddy. "Optical electronegativity, bulk modulus and electronic polarizability of materials." Optical Materials 14, no. 4 (2000): 355-358.
  34. El-Nahass, M. M., and A. A. M. Farag. "Structural, optical and dispersion characteristics of nanocrystalline GaN films prepared by MOVPE." Optics & Laser Technology 44, no. 2 (2012): 497-503.
  35. R.L.Sutherland, D.G.Mclean, S.Kikparik, Handbook on Non-Linear optics second ed, Marcel Dekkar inc, New York, (2003).
  36. Duffy, J. A. "Trends in energy gaps of binary compounds: an approach based upon electron transfer parameters from optical spectroscopy." Journal of Physics C: Solid State Physics 13, no. 16 (1980): 2979.
  37. Tripathy, S. K. "Refractive indices of semiconductors from energy gaps."  Optical materials 46 (2015): 240-246.
  38. Moss, T. S. "A relationship between the refractive index and the infra-red threshold of sensitivity for photoconductors." Proceedings of the Physical Society. Section B 63.3 (1950): 167.
  39. Ravindra, N. M., Sushil Auluck, and V. K. Srivastava. "On the Penn gap in semiconductors." Physica status solidi (b) 93.2 (1979): K155-K160.
  40. Herve, P., and L. K. J. Vandamme. "General relation between refractive index and energy gap in semiconductors." Infrared physics & technology 35.4 (1994): 609-615.
  41. Herve, P. J. L., and L. K. J. Vandamme. "Empirical temperature dependence of the refractive index of semiconductors." Journal of Applied Physics 77.10 (1995): 5476-5477.
  42. Reddy, R. R., S. Anjaneyulu, and C. L. N. Sarma. "Relationship between energy gap, refractive index, bond energy and the szigeti charge in polyatomic binary compounds and semiconductors." Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 54.5 (1993): 635-637.
  43. Gupta, V. P., and N. M. Ravindra. "Comments on the moss formula." physica status solidi (b) 100.2 (1980): 715-719.
  44. Qasem, Ammar, et al. "Tunability of structural, optical, and electrical properties of pristine MnSe thin film by gradually changing temperature for optoelectronic applications." Physica B: Condensed Matter 627 (2022): 413600.
  45. Haacke, G. "New figure of merit for transparent conductors." Journal of Applied Physics 47.9 (1976): 4086-4089.
  46. Khan, M. I., et al. "Structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of Cu doped DLC thin films." Materials Research Express 6.12 (2019): 126420.
  47. Victoria, S. Grace, A. Moses Ezhil Raj, and C. Ravidhas. "An insight in the structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of spray pyrolysed Co3O4 thin films." Materials Chemistry and Physics 162 (2015): 852-859.
  48. He, Chongjun, et al. "Optical transmission and dispersion of 0.25 Pb (In1/2Nb1/2) O3–(0.75−x) Pb (Mg1/3Nb2/3) O3–x PbTiO3 single crystals." Journal of Applied Physics 117.16 (2015): 164104.
  49. Moussa, N. M., et al. "Chromium doped ZnO nanoparticles for energy storage, gas and humidity sensing and spin based electronic devices applications." Optical and Quantum Electronics 54.11 (2022): 1-20.
  50. Elsaeedy, H. I., et al. "The pivotal role of TiO2 layer thickness in optimizing the performance of TiO2/P-Si solar cell." Journal of Alloys and Compounds 867 (2021): 159150.
  51. Kincl, M., and L. Tichý. "Thermally and optically induced irreversible changes in some Ge–As–S amorphous thin films." Materials Chemistry and Physics 110.2-3 (2008): 322-327.
  52. Gadalla, A., et al. "Optical constants and dispersion parameters of amorphous Se65− xAs35Sbx thick films for optoelectronics." Indian Journal of Physics 95.9 (2021): 1853-1863.
  53. Fouad, S. S., A. E. Bekheet, and A. M. Farid. "Derivation of a relation between the conduction mechanism and chemical bonding of amorphous Ge15Se85−xAgx alloys." Physica B: Condensed Matter 322.1-2 (2002): 163-172.
  54. E. Marquez, J. M. Gonzalez-Leal, A. M. Bemal-Oliva, R. Jimenez –Garay and T. Wagner J. Non-Cryst. Solids 354 (2008) 503.
  55. Yakuphanoglu, F., and C. Viswanathan. "Electrical conductivity and single oscillator model properties of amorphous CuSe semiconductor thin film." Journal of non-crystalline solids 353.30-31 (2007): 2934-2937.
  56. Qasem, Ammar, et al. "Extraction of thermal and optical parameters for As–Se–Te thin films according to phase-change pathways." Materials Chemistry and Physics 277 (2022): 125620.
  57. Ticha, H., and L. Tichy. "Semiempirical relation between non-linear susceptibility (refractive index), linear refractive index and optical gap and its application to amorphous chalcogenides." J. Optoelectron. Adv. Mater 4.2 (2002): 381-386.
  58. Qasem, Ammar, et al. "Optical and electronic properties for As-60 at % S uniform thickness of thin films: Influence of Se content." Optical Materials 109 (2020): 110257.