Improved optoelectronic properties of spray pyrolysis coated Zn doped Cu2O thin films for photodetector applications

Present work deals with the preparation of pure and Cu2O:Zn (0, 3, 5, and 7 wt %) using the Nebulizer spray technique. The structural (XRD), morphology (AFM), energy dispersive analysis (EDX), UV–Vis spectrophotometer, photoluminescence spectrometer, and Hall measurements were used to characterize the films. XRD study confirmed the polycrystalline cubic crystal structure preferentially grown with the (111) plane orientation. With increasing the doping concentration, a considerable amount of variation in morphology and surface roughness was found in the AFM study. Optical studies revealed the variation in the band gap between 2.25 and 1.85 eV for all Zn doped Cu2O films. The studied samples showed highest responsivity of 2.26 AW-1, maximum EQE of 729% and detectivity of 2.80 × 1010 Jones respectively. The high-speed response time (3.3 s) and decay time (3.5 s) with clear repeatability properties provide a pathway to design an excellent photodetector. •Facile and low-cost fabrication of Zn@Cu2O thin films by nebulizer spray pyrolysis route is reported.•XRD, EDX and AFM studies confirmed the Zn doped Cu2O films with good crystallinity.•AFM study reveals very fine grains formation in the grown films.•The energy gap of Cu2O films was reduced from 2.25 to 1.85 eV on Zn content doping.•Zn@Cu2O films possess high performance photodetection nature compare to pure.