Fabrication, Electrical Performance and Comparison of Ag/p-NiO/ n-ITO/Ag, Ag/p-NiO/n-FTO/Ag, Ag/p-NiO/Glass/Ag Heterostructure Thin Films

Abstract

In this study, we fabricated and analysed heterostructure thin films based on nickel oxide (NiO) films using the low-cost successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. NiO films were deposited on three substrates: indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine tin oxide (FTO) and glass. The structural, optical, electrical and surface properties of the NiO films were investigated, revealing that all films have a cubic crystal structure with grain sizes varying between 30-60 nm. The optical energy range of the films was determined to be between 3.56-4 eV by analysing their optical properties. Furthermore, it was observed that the use of ITO base in Ag/p-NiO/n-ITO/Ag heterostructure thin films significantly increased their transmittance values to approximately 40%. The I-V characteristics of Ag/p-NiO/n-ITO/Ag, Ag/p-NiO/n-FTO/Ag and Ag/p-NiO/Glass/Ag heterostructures were examined. The maximum barrier height (Φ_B) for the Ag/p-NiO/n-ITO/Ag heterostructure thin film was found to be 0.55 eV. In addition, the minimum ideality factor for this film was obtained to be 1.44 eV. The I-V analysis revealed that the Ag/p-NiO/n-ITO/Ag heterostructure is particularly suitable as a photoanode for solar cell applications.