Oriented Attachment: A Path to Columnar Morphology in Chemical Bath Deposited PbSe Thin Films

Tzvi Templeman, Sucheta Sengupta, Nitzan Maman, Eyal Bar-Or, Michael Shandalov, Vladimir Ezersky, Eyal Yahel, Gabby Sarusi, Iris Visoly-Fisher, Yuval Golan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have studied columnar PbSe thin films obtained using chemical bath deposition. The columnar microstructure resulted from an oriented attachment growth mechanism, in which nuclei precipitating from solution attached along preferred crystallographic facets to form highly oriented, size-quantized columnar grains. This is shown to be an intermediate growth mechanism between the ion-by-ion and cluster growth mechanisms. A structural zone model depicting the active growth mechanisms is presented for the first time for semiconductor thin films deposited from solution. The columnar films showed well-defined twinning relations between neighboring columns, which exhibited 2D quantum confinement, as established by photoluminescence spectroscopy. In addition, anisotropic nanoscale electrical properties were investigated using current sensing AFM, which indicated vertical conductivity, while maintaining quantum confinement.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1227-1235
Number of pages9
JournalCrystal Growth and Design
Volume18
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 7 Feb 2018

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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