Fabrication and microstructure of p-type transparent conducting CuS thin film and its application in dye-sensitized solar cell

Abstract

By reducing film thickness to a few nanometers, the narrow-band-gap CuS turns highly transparent. Surface modification by a self-assembled monolayer is the key factor to obtain a thin, dense, and continuous film. The film growth mechanism is identified as “layer-by-layer growth followed by islanding.” After annealing, a p-type conductivity of ∼2×103Scm−1 is achieved at room temperature, and the thinnest conductive film has an average transparency of 92% between 400 and 800nm. Using p-type CuS films as front contact layers, a dye-sensitized solar cell was fabricated with a significant photoelectric response.