Preparation and Near-Infrared Photoelectric Properties of n-Type Cu3P

As intrinsic cuprous phosphide (Cu3P) shows p-type conductivity, the investigation of n-type Cu3P (n-Cu3P) was lacking and hindered its development and application. In this paper, novel n-type conducting cuprous phosphide (n-Cu3P) has been prepared by annealing ZnO/Cu3P/Cu structure. The morphology, composition and structure of the thin films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FSEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and laser Raman spectroscopy (Raman). The semiconductor conduction type was analyzed by thermal probe method and Hall coefficient method. The transition of conduction type from p-type to n-type occurred as ZnO/Cu3P/Cu was annealed at 550 degrees C. The growth mechanism of n-Cu3P was discussed. Finally, the infrared absorption and photoelectric properties were investigated. The near-infrared photoelectronic performance of Cu3P was reported for the first time. The successful preparation of n-Cu3P is helpful to promote the research and application of Cu3P based electronic devices.