Optoelectronic and Photoelectrochemical Performance of 0.1 mol% Cu‐Doped CdSe Thin Films

ABSTRACT The present work focuses on the synthesis and characterization of 0.1 mol% Cu‐doped CdSe thin films deposited on glass substrates using a simple dip technique with trichloroacetic acid as a complexing agent. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of copper incorporation on the structural, optical, electrical, thermoelectrical, and photoelectrochemical properties of CdSe thin films for optoelectronic applications. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of polycrystalline hexagonal CdSe with an average crystallite size of 73 nm. SEM images revealed uniformly distributed spherical granules over the substrate surface, while AAS analysis confirmed near‐stoichiometric Cd:Se:Cu composition. The films exhibited high optical absorptivity of 2.68 × 10 4 cm −1 at 400 nm and a direct band gap of 1.73 eV. Electrical studies showed semiconducting behavior with conductivity ranging from 5.43 × 10 −6 to 2.02 × 10 −3 (Ω cm) −1 . Thermoelectric measurements confirmed p‐type conductivity, and the fabricated photoelectrochemical cell exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 1.09%.