Performance of RF sputtered V2O5 interface layer in p-type CdTe/Ag Schottky diode

In this work, vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films were successfully grown on soda-lime glass by RF magnetron sputtering technique under an oxygen partial pressure of 10−6 m-bar at room temperatures. Systematically, the characterization of V2O5 films was carried out to study the impact of different sputtered power on the growth, structural and optical properties. XRD results revealed that films exhibit a preferred orientation along with the (001) plane, including an orthorhombic structure at the low RF power. The crystal growth corresponding (001) and (110) planes were suppressed as well as the intensity of peak (003) and (401) planes increased with increasing RF power. It was examined that at the high RF power, thin films show mixed oxide of VO2 and V2O5. A uniform spherical grains morphology was observed by FESEM micrographs. The thin films exhibited good transmittance above 80%, and a sharp absorption edge was found for all samples about 412 nm. Moreover, Two Schottky structures, Ag/V2O5/CdTe and Ag/CdTe were fabricated to investigate the performance of Schottky diode (SD) with the V2O5 interface layer between metal and semiconductor junctions for solar cell applications. The SD parameters such as ideality factor, barrier height, and interface resistance were also calculated. It was found that Ag/V2O5/CdTe diode performs well at room temperature. The saturation current increases from 1.03 μA to 8.39 μA with the insertion of the V2O5 interface layer (IF). Consequently, the V2O5 layer plays a vital role in enhancing the diode's performance.