Abstract
Optimization studies of lead selenide (PbSe) nanofilm formation using electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) are reported here. IV-VI compounds semiconductors, such as the lead chalcogenides (PbSe, PbTe and PbS), have narrow band gaps and crystallize in the cubic rock salt structure. They are of interest for their optical and electronic properties, which make them useful in thermoelectric device structures, infrared sensors, and photovoltaics. PbSe has the narrowest band gap of the lead chalcogenides, 0.26 eV at room temperature. PbSe deposits were formed using an ALD cycle on Au substrates, one atomic layer at a time, from separate solutions, containing Pb or Se ions. Single atomic layers were formed using surface limited reactions, referred to as underpotential deposition (UPD).