Electrical properties of an Ag/ZnS/p–Si heterojunction obtained by sputtered ZnS thin film

Abstract ZnS thin films were deposited on both soda-lime glass and p–Si substrates by radio frequency (RF) sputtering of a single ZnS target. The morphological, structural, and optical properties of the films were analyzed. It was seen that the thin films had (111) and (200) orientations of ZnS structure. The particle size distribution of the SEM image showed that the ZnS thin film had a 44.00 ± 0.56 nm average particle size. The optical band gap of ZnS thin films was calculated as 3.7 eV using UV–vis data. The electrical and photoelectrical properties of an Ag/ZnS/p–Si heterojunction were analyzed using current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements. The results showed that the device had 0.694 eV barrier height and 449 Ω series resistance values. In addition, the photodiode of the device was analyzed by I–V measurements under a solar simulator with AM1.5 global filter. Finally, the barrier height value obtained from C–V measurements was compatible with the I–V method.