Detailed photoluminescence studies of thin film Cu2S for determination of quasi-Fermi level splitting and defect levels

We have studied chalcocite (Cu2S) layers prepared by physical vapor deposition with varying deposition parameters by calibrated spectral photoluminescence (PL) and by confocal PL with lateral resolution of Delta x approximate to 0.9 mu m. Calibrated PL experiments as a function of temperature T and excitation fluxes were performed to obtain the absolute PL-yield and to calculate the splitting of the quasi-Fermi levels (QFLs) mu = E-f,E-n - E-f,E-p at an excitation flux equivalent to the AM 1.5 spectrum and the absorption coefficient alpha(h omega), both in the temperature range of 20 K <= T <= 400 K. The PL-spectra reveal two peaks at E-#1 = 1.17 eV and E-#2 = 1.3 eV. The samples show a QFL-splitting of mu > 700 meV associated with a pseudo band gap of E-g = 1.25 eV. The high-energy peak shows an unexpected temperature behavior, namely, an increase of PL-yield with rising temperature at variance with the behavior of QFL-splitting that decreases with rising T. Our observations indicate that, contrary to common believe, it is not the PL-yield, but rather the QFL-splitting that is the comprehensive indicator of the quality of the excited state in an illuminated semiconductor. A further examination of the lateral variation of opto-electronic properties by confocal PL and the surface contour shows no detectable correlation between Cu2S grains/grain boundaries and the PL-yield or QFL-splitting. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.