View in EDS

Contact engineering of p-type CuI thin films: interplay of work function alignment and interfacial chemical stability.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Contact engineering of p-type CuI thin films: interplay of work function alignment and interfacial chemical stability.
Authors: Yang, Zhong-ao1 (AUTHOR), Yang, Jia-lin1,2 (AUTHOR), Yu, Qiu-fei1 (AUTHOR), Chen, Xiao-jian1 (AUTHOR), Xiao, Yi-fan1 (AUTHOR), Zhu, Zhi-wei1 (AUTHOR), Ji, Zhuo-ran1 (AUTHOR), Zhao, Jun-liang3 (AUTHOR), Yang, Chang1 (AUTHOR) cyang@phy.ecnu.edu.cn
Source: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. 2026, Vol. 59 Issue 27, p1-10. 10p.
Abstract: Copper iodide (CuI) is a promising p-type transparent conductors, yet its device application is limited by poorly understood contact properties. This study systematically investigates Pt, W, Mo, and Ag contacts on CuI thin films using transmission line method structures. Classical band theory predicts ohmic contact only for metals with work functions exceeding that of CuI (∼5.1 eV). Experimentally, Pt (5.6 eV) shows an excellent ohmic contact with a low contact resistance of 30 Ω, as expected, and the specific contact resistivity is 0.09 Ω·cm2. Surprisingly, Mo (4.6 eV) and W (4.5 eV) also form low-resistance ohmic contacts despite their lower work functions. This is due to the high hole concentration (∼1019 cm−3) in CuI, which narrows the depletion width and enables efficient hole tunneling. In contrast, Ag (4.3 eV) forms a rectifying contact but exhibits anomalous nanoampere-level current and hysteresis, arising from severe interfacial iodization. Cross-sectional analysis confirms that while Pt, Mo, and W interfaces are sharp and stable, Ag reacts with iodine, forming a diffused interlayer. The contact performance is improved by thermal annealing at 100 °C–200 °C. This work establishes that alongside work function alignment, chemical stability against iodization is a critical criterion for selecting electrodes in CuI-based devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics is the property of IOP Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: egs
DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 195121503
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Contact engineering of p-type CuI thin films: interplay of work function alignment and interfacial chemical stability.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Zhong-ao%22">Yang, Zhong-ao</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Jia-lin%22">Yang, Jia-lin</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yu%2C+Qiu-fei%22">Yu, Qiu-fei</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Xiao-jian%22">Chen, Xiao-jian</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Xiao%2C+Yi-fan%22">Xiao, Yi-fan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhu%2C+Zhi-wei%22">Zhu, Zhi-wei</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ji%2C+Zhuo-ran%22">Ji, Zhuo-ran</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhao%2C+Jun-liang%22">Zhao, Jun-liang</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Chang%22">Yang, Chang</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> cyang@phy.ecnu.edu.cn</i>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Physics+D%3A+Applied+Physics%22">Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 59 Issue 27, p1-10. 10p.
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Copper iodide (CuI) is a promising p-type transparent conductors, yet its device application is limited by poorly understood contact properties. This study systematically investigates Pt, W, Mo, and Ag contacts on CuI thin films using transmission line method structures. Classical band theory predicts ohmic contact only for metals with work functions exceeding that of CuI (∼5.1 eV). Experimentally, Pt (5.6 eV) shows an excellent ohmic contact with a low contact resistance of 30 Ω, as expected, and the specific contact resistivity is 0.09 Ω·cm2. Surprisingly, Mo (4.6 eV) and W (4.5 eV) also form low-resistance ohmic contacts despite their lower work functions. This is due to the high hole concentration (∼1019 cm−3) in CuI, which narrows the depletion width and enables efficient hole tunneling. In contrast, Ag (4.3 eV) forms a rectifying contact but exhibits anomalous nanoampere-level current and hysteresis, arising from severe interfacial iodization. Cross-sectional analysis confirms that while Pt, Mo, and W interfaces are sharp and stable, Ag reacts with iodine, forming a diffused interlayer. The contact performance is improved by thermal annealing at 100 °C–200 °C. This work establishes that alongside work function alignment, chemical stability against iodization is a critical criterion for selecting electrodes in CuI-based devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics is the property of IOP Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=egs&AN=195121503
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1088/1361-6463/ae830d
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 10
        StartPage: 1
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Contact engineering of p-type CuI thin films: interplay of work function alignment and interfacial chemical stability.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Yang, Zhong-ao
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Yang, Jia-lin
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Yu, Qiu-fei
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Chen, Xiao-jian
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Xiao, Yi-fan
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zhu, Zhi-wei
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Ji, Zhuo-ran
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zhao, Jun-liang
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Yang, Chang
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 10
              M: 07
              Text: 2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00223727
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 59
            – Type: issue
              Value: 27
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
              Type: main
ResultId 1