Effects of Erbium on the Properties of Electrochemically-Deposited Zirconium Telluride Thin Films

Abstract

This work studies the effects of varying erbium dopant percentages on the optical, structural, morphological,elemental, and electrical properties of zirconium telluride thin films deposited via electrochemical deposition technique.The obtained films were characterized using Uv-Visible Spectrophotometer, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscope (EDX), and a four-point probe system. XRD analyses showed cubic polycrystalline films with the most intense peak at (111) plane. SEM micrographs revealed spherical balls while EDX spectra confirmed the deposition of basic elements. Good optical features and decreased band gap energies from 1.80 eV to 1.76 eV were observed upon addition of erbium. The electrical conductivities of the films improved significantly upon doping. The deposited films are potential solar cells, and optical materials.