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

Abstract As intrinsic cuprous phosphide (Cu 3 P) shows p‐type conductivity, the investigation of n‐type Cu 3 P (n‐Cu 3 P) was lacking and hindered its development and application. In this paper, novel n‐type conducting cuprous phosphide (n‐Cu 3 P) has been prepared by annealing ZnO/Cu 3 P/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/Cu 3 P/Cu was annealed at 550 °C. The growth mechanism of n‐Cu 3 P was discussed. Finally, the infrared absorption and photoelectric properties were investigated. The near‐infrared photoelectronic performance of Cu 3 P was reported for the first time. The successful preparation of n‐Cu 3 P is helpful to promote the research and application of Cu 3 P based electronic devices.