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Study the effect of Cu to S molar ratios and annealing process on physical properties of CuxS thin films synthesized by spray pyrolysis method

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Abstract

Here we studied the effect of Cu:S molar ratios of 0.40, 0.43, 0.45, 0.47 and the annealing process in the presence of N2 gas flow on the physical properties of CuxS thin films synthesized by the spray pyrolysis method. The layers were characterized by FESEM, EDX, XRD, Raman, and UV–visible spectra, as well as Hall effect and resistivity measurements in Van der Pauw configuration. We found: (1) structural analysis showed that the as-grown layers are mainly in the covellite phase, while after annealing, the chalcocite phase is predominant, consistent with the EDX analysis; (2) hall effect measurements indicated that the studied samples have a degenerate p-type conductivity, with a high hole concentration of (0.5–1.6) × 1022 cm−3; (3) the optical characteristics revealed that all layers have a peak transmission around 25–45% in the visible range, and a high reflectivity (~ 30–40%) in the infrared range. These features make these layers useful in solar control glazing applications.

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NA: Sample preparation, Investigation; Data Curation; Writing-Original Draft; Preparation. HE: Supervision; Conceptualization; Methodology; Formal Analysis; Reviewing and Editing.

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ArabHajji, N., Eshghi, H. Study the effect of Cu to S molar ratios and annealing process on physical properties of CuxS thin films synthesized by spray pyrolysis method. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 1731 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11173-4

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