Determination of the some electronic parameters of nanostructure copper selenide and Cu/Cu₃Se₂/n-GaAs/In structure

Highlights: • Introducing to a new degree of freedom in the control of effective barrier height by using Cu. • We want to experimentally observe whether or not the diode continues the ideality in the temperature range of 60–400 K. • We have modified the Richardson's plot using the temperature dependent values of effective area of the patches. - Abstract: The nanostructure copper selenide thin film has been grown on n-type gallium arsenide substrate by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method. The film has been characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) measurements. X-ray diffraction analysis of the film confirms a polycrystalline with preferred orientation. The AFM and SEM micrographs of the film reveal smooth and uniform surface pattern without any dark pits, pinholes and microcracks. The Cu/Cu₃Se₂/n-GaAs/In structure has been thermally formed in evaporating system after the SILAR process. The electrical analysis of Cu/Cu₃Se₂/n-GaAs/In structure has been investigated by means of current–voltage (I–V) measurements in the temperature range of 60–400 K in dark conditions. The values of barrier height (BH) and ideality factor (n) ranged from 0.21 eV and 4.97 (60 K) to 0.83 eV and 1.14 (400 K), respectively. In the calculations, the electrical parameters of the experimental forward bias I–V characteristics of the Cu/Cu₃Se₂/n-GaAs/In with the homogeneity in the 60–400 K range have been explained by means of the thermionic emission (TE), considering Gaussian distribution (GD) of BH with linear bias dependence