Deposition of copper iodide thin films by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) methods

•CuI thin films shows average crystal size is ∼60 nm, for thickness nearly 1 μm.•CuI thin film shows band gap of 3.0 eV.•The resistivity of CuI films by CBD method is 4.94 × 105 Ω cm.•The resistivity of CuI films by SILAR method is 5.70 × 106 Ω cm.•CuI thin films shows p-type nature with activation energy of 0.13 eV.

In this paper, we report structural, morphological, electrical studies of copper iodide (CuI) thin films deposited onto glass substrates by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) methods. CuI thin films were characterized for their structural, morphological and wettability studies by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical absorption, and contact angle measurement methods. Thickness of thin films was 1 ± 0.1 μm measured by gravimetric weight difference method. The CuI thin films were nanocrystalline, with average crystal size of ∼60 nm. The FT-IR study confirmed the formation of CuI on the substrate surface. SEM images revealed the compact and cube like structure for CuI thin films deposited by CBD and SILAR methods, respectively. Optical absorption study revealed optical energy gaps as 2.3 and 3.0 eV for CBD and SILAR methods, respectively. Wettability study indicated that CuI thin films deposited by SILAR method are more hydrophobic as compared to CBD method.