Microstructural, Optical, and Work Function Tuning of Fullerene (C₆₀) Modified Zinc Oxide Films for Optoelectronic Devices

Abstract

Here, we report the synthesis of pristine and fullerene (C60) modified zinc oxide (ZnO) films by the sol-gel method. The incorporation of C60 in pristine ZnO films modifies its structural, surface morphological, optical, and electrical properties. Structural characterization suggests that pristine and C60 modified ZnO films exhibit Wurtize crystal structure. Surface morphological characterization demonstrates that incorporation of C60 into ZnO leads to the formation of spherical nano-particles which varies on the doping of C60. The properties of C60 doped ZnO films show a reduction in the bandgap values with enhanced optical absorption and photoluminescence properties. Further, the surface potential and work function of pristine and C60 incorporated ZnO films, as investigated by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) show tuning of Fermi level in pristine and C60 modified ZnO films. Also, C60 modified ZnO Schottky diodes exhibited enhanced carrier mobility with better charge transport properties.

Optimizing charge transport and band-offset in silicon heterojunction solar cells: impact of TiO2 contact deposition temperature

“…(ii) Region-II (mid-bias region, 0.2 V-1 V): in this region, the dependency of V on J increases, and the value of gradient m reaches in the range of 2-3, which arises due to space charge limited current (SCLC) [39]. (iii) Region-III (high bias region): at high bias, the power dependence of current on voltage behaves nonlinearly, indicating that trap states are entirely filled [40,41].…”