ELECTROCONDUCTIVE COPPER SELENIDE FILMS ON TRANSPARENT POLYESTER SHEETS

Electroconductive thin films of copper selenide (Cu2Se) were deposited on transparent polyester sheets by a simple electroless deposition te chnique based on hydrolytic decomposition of selenosulfate in alkaline aqueous solutions. X-ray analysis confirmed that the deposited materi al is polycrystalline Cu2Se. Surface resistivities of the films are ab out 50-500 ohms/square, depending on the experimental conditions. Opti cal spectra revealed that the Cu2Se films obtained are fairly transpar ent in the visible region, while the transmittance drops substantially in the near-infrared region. This suggests a possible use of these fi lms as microwave (infrared) shielding coatings. The deposited films ar e p-type semiconductors with an optical energy bandgap of 2.33 eV.