Ternary CuCo2S4 Thiospinel Nanocrystal-Coated Photodiode with Improved Photoresponsivity and Acceptance Angles for Optoelectronic Applications

Ternary-structured thiospinels have attracted great attention in recent years for energy applications due to their attractive characteristics such as simple production, earth-abundant components and non-toxic nature. In this work, copper cobalt sulfide (CuCo2S4 or carrollite) thiospinel nanocrystals were synthesized by a hot-injection method, and detailed electrical and optoelectronic characterizations were performed in a Schottky device. The synthesized nanocrystals were used as an interfacial layer between the Au metal and p-Si semiconductor to obtain an Au/CuCo2S4/p-Si device. The structural and morphological characterizations confirmed the crystallinity, nanostructure and composition of the CuCo2S4 nanocrystals. The I–V and C–V measurements were employed to characterize the Au/CuCo2S4/p-Si device for various illumination intensities. The obtained device exhibited good rectifying and photodiode properties as well as good photocapacitance. The Au/CuCo2S4/p-Si device can be used and improved for optoelectronic applications. © 2019, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.217M212This work is supported by TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) under Project Number 217M212. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations