Synthesis and electrical characteristics of Ag₂S nanocrystals

In this paper, Ag₂S nanocrystals were synthesized by the colloidal method at room temperature. The synthesized Ag₂S nanocrystals were spherical in shape with a diameter of about 10-20 nm and high crystallinity, which were confirmed by the high resolution transmission electron microscope images and selected-area electron diffraction patterns. In order to investigate the electrical properties of the Ag₂S nanocrystals, a back-gate thin film transistor (TFT) device structure was fabricated on SiO₂/Si substrates. The drain current of TFT composed of Ag₂S was increased according to the increase in the voltages of drain-source and gate, revealing n-type semiconductor properties. The phase of the Ag₂S nanocrystals, which is related to their electrical properties, was proved to be α-phase by thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, and X-ray diffraction.