Effect of tin content on the electrical and optical properties of sprayed silver sulfide semiconductor thin films

Silver sulfide (Ag2S) thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by t spray pyrolysis using an aqueous solution which contains silver acetate and thiourea as precursors. The depositions were carried out at a substrate temperature of 250 degrees C. Structural studies by means of X-ray diffraction show that all tin (Sn)-doped Ag2S thin films crystallized in a monoclinic space group with noticeable changes in the crystallites' orientation. The discussion of some structural calculated constants has been made with Sn doping in terms of microhardness measurements. Moreover, the optical analysis via the transmittance, reflectance as well as the photocurrent reveals that the direct band gap energy (E-gd) decreases (E-gd varies from 2.34 to 2.16 eV) and the indirect band gap energy (E-gi) increases (E-gi varies from 0.98 to 1.09 eV) slightly as a function of Sn content. Electrical study shows that Sn doping changes the electrical conductivity and proves the thermal activation of electrical conduction. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.