Chemistry and Charge Trapping at the Interface of Silver and Ultrathin Layers of Zinc Oxide.

ABSTRACT: Zinc oxide, a wide-band-gap semiconductor, shows intriguing optoelectronic properties when coupled with Ag. Specifically, an absorbance band in the visible range that is not apparent in the separated materials emerges when the interface is formed. Interestingly, photoexcitation of this "interface band" or band-to-band results in a counterintuitive photovoltaic response when a supra/sub-band-gap light is shone. To investigate the origin of this absorbance band and photovoltaic response, we studied in detail the energy-band alignment of ultrathin layers of ZnO (3-60 nm) with Ag. Our analysis indicated that an 'electrostatic potential cliff' is formed within the first 1-2 nm of ZnO. In addition, oxygen vacancies, presumably generated by Ag_xO-Zn bonds, form mid-gap acceptor s

SUBMITTER: Rahamim M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8592502 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature