Influence of Cerium (Ce) Doping on the Structural Properties of Silver Telluride (Ag2Te) Thin Films Deposited by Electrodeposition Method

Abstract

In this research, Silver Telluride (Ag2Te) and Cerium doped Silver Telluride (Ce: Ag2Te), thin films have been successfully deposited onto FTO glass substrate using electrodeposition method to investigate the influence of Ce doping on the structural properties of Ag2Te thin films. Silver trioxonitrate (V) and tellurium (iv) oxide were the precursors used for silver and tellurium ions. Depositions of films made from cerium-doped silver telluride were conducted at room temperature. Variations of structural properties with concentration of cerium dopant, deposition time and with pH were considered in this research. The percentages concentration of cerium dopant used are 5% and10.0%. The Structural properties of Ag2Te and Ce doped Ag2Te thin films were investigated using X-ray diffractometry. The structural properties analysis of pure Ag2Te and cerium-doped Ag2Te thin films reveals significant changes in crystallographic properties (crystallite size, micro-strain and dislocation density) with increasing cerium concentration. The increase in crystallite size, coupled with the decrease in micro-strain and dislocation density, suggests that cerium doping improves the structural quality of Ag2Te thin films, potentially enhancing their properties. The higher intensities of the doped samples' diffraction peaks imply better crystallinity and possibly lower defect densities, which are beneficial for applications requiring high-quality crystalline materials. Longer deposition times and optimizing pH enhance crystallinity , where lower values generally improve crystal quality by reducing lattice distortions. The findings highlight how controlled doping, deposition time, and pH conditions can fine-tune the structural properties of cerium doped silver telluride thin films, making it suitable for applications in optoelectronics and electronic devices.