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This thesis focuses on the deposition of thin TiO₂ films on p-type Si using atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique, on the study of the electronic proprieties of the grown films and on the electrochemical characterization of TiO₂/Si photoelectrodes. The deposition parameters, electronic properties and electrochemical performance and stability of the TiO₂/Si samples are correlated.
The ALD technique is used to deposit TiO₂ with two different precursors namely Titanium isopropoxide and Titanium methoxide onto Si substrates. Laboratory as well as synchrotron based X-ray spectroscopy techniques are used to characterize these films. The growth quality of the TiO₂ ALD films is determined by analyzing X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data in terms of stoichiometry, defect states and Ti³⁺:Ti⁴⁺ ratios. The ALD technique was modified with different heating arrangements to obtain various polymorphs of TiO₂.
The ALD and anatase TiO₂ films are characterized using synchrotron radiation to study their electronic properties and these films are compared with single crystal rutile TiO₂. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (res-PES) measurements are performed with synchrotron radiation. XAS measurements are used to determine the polymorphs as well as the electronic structure of TiO₂ Res-PES measurements are conducted at the O1s and Ti2p edges to study multiple hole Auger decay processes and polaronic and charge transfer states as well as to determine the electronic band gap of the TiO₂ layers. One of the main findings of this thesis is the determination of the partial density of states (pDOS) of O and Ti in the conduction and valence band. The combination of the pDOS and the band edge positions obtained from res-PES measurements are used to calculate the charge neutrality level of the TiO₂ polymorphs.
The photoelectrochemical measurements are conducted on bare-Si and TiO₂/Si photoelectrodes. The electrochemical performance of these photoelectrodes is studied in electrolytes having pH values ranging from 1 to 13. The deposition of TiO₂ on Si enhances the photoelectrochemical performance of the Si photoelectrode. The TiO₂ increases the stability of the photoelectrode in all electrochemical media over 12 hours of experimental condition. Moreover, it is also observed that the TiO₂/Si photoelectrode is less responsive to the pH value of the electrolyte. The electrochemical findings are explained on the basis of the electronic properties of the TiO₂ layer. The electronic band gap obtained from spectroscopic measurement and the photoelectrochemical measurements are used to explain the performance and stability of the TiO₂/Si photoelectrodes. The thesis also addresses the stability of Si microstructured photoelectrodes (SiMPs) prepared by an electrochemical method. The stability of the SiMPs deteriorates more rapidly than that one of the planar Si photoelectrode. However, using a protective ALD TiO₂ layer on these SiMPs the overall performance is even more enhanced than on the TiO₂/planar Si system.
In the framework of this thesis synchrotron radiation spectroscopy is applied to study the electronic structure of organic semiconductors, of Graphene, and of transition metal (TM) oxide water splitting catalysts (Co-PI) with emphasis on excitonic and polaronic effects. For a correct theoretical description of the electronic structure of these material classes electron-phonon and electron-electron coupling as well as polarization and excitonic effects have to be considered. Excitons and Polarons are localized in-gap states. They are known to affect the optical properties of the material. Their influence can also be revealed in the resonant Auger decay profile. Even in TM-oxides Polarons and Excitons are observed as a consequence of an oxygen 2p to TM3d charge transfer. Therefor, the following three material classes are chosen for the fundamental study of Excitons and Polarons in resonant Auger decay processes. First, the existence of localized polaronic and excitonic states is investigated for regioregular-Poly(3 hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (rr-P3HT) and Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) used as a light absorber in organic solar cells. The existence of 2D-Polarons, singlet Exciton, and triplet Exciton is demonstrated for rr-P3HT whereas for PCBM only singlet Excitons are observed. Singlet Excitons show an influence on the resonant Auger decay by a combined spectator-participator (S+P) Auger decay in the π*-band. Second, for a more detailed study of the (S+P) decay Highly Ordered Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) is chosen. For Graphene as a single layer of HOPG without van der Waals force another combination of Auger decays can be observed: a double spectator Auger (S+S) and a double spectator Auger-Gain (S+S)* decay. Third, Co-PI (cobalt oxide compound) is investigated. It is a TM-oxide catalyst used for the oxygen evolution reaction in photo-electrochemical cells. Self-trapped Excitons formed by resonant core electron excitation into self-trapped hole states give rise to a combined Auger decay process (S+P). For all three novel Auger decay processes {(S+P), (S+S), and (S+S)*} a model is proposed.