Optical and structural properties of silver doped ZnSe thin films prepared by CSS and ion exchange process

ZnSe thin films were prepared by, simple low cost, closed space sublimation method (CSS). The silver doping was achieved by ion exchange process, i.e. immersing the films in low concentrated silver nitrate solution for different time periods and flowed by heated treatment in vacuum. The effect of silver concentration on the optical properties, such as refractive index, absorption coefficient and optical band gap, have been calculated from the normal transmission spectra in UV, Visible and NIR region. The structure of the films was studied by X-ray diffraction. The EDS attached to SEM was used to determine the composition of the films. The electrical resistivity, at room temperature, was also measured and it was reduced considerably as silver concentration increased.