Opto-structural and electrical properties of chemically grown Ga doped MoBi₂Se₅ thin films

An arrested precipitation route was developed to obtain gallium doped MoBi₂Se₅ thin films on substrate support. High purity organometallic complexes of Mo–triethanolamine (Mo–TEA), Bi–triethanolamine (Bi–TEA), Ga–triethanolamine (Ga–TEA) allow to react with sodium selenosulphite (Na₂SeSO₃) in the presence of sodium dithionite (Na₂S₂O₄) as a reducing agent in an aqueous alkaline reaction bath. As deposited thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, which reveals that material is nanocrystalline with mixed phases of rhombohedral (Bi₂Se₃)-hexagonal (MoSe₂)-hexagonal (GaSe) structures. Scanning electron micrographs show the grain of granular morphology decreases with increase in Ga concentration. Energy dispersive x-ray analysis shows presence of Mo, Bi, Ga and Se elements in stoichiometric ratio confirms the chemical formula MoBiGaSe₅. Optical absorbance of the films show direct allowed transition in visible region having band gap energy in the range of 1.30–1.47 eV. Thermoelectric power and electrical conductivity measurements have been carried out for thin film samples in the temperature range 300–500 K and results revealed that n-type semiconducting behavior. It is interesting to note that Ga doping in MoBi₂Se₅ changes n to p type conductivity.