Abstract
XRD patterns of (a) MoS2 and (b) Ag:MoS2 crystalline thin films. Insets contain the unit cell and super-cell configurations of compositions produced with X-Crysden.
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•First principal calculations of MoS2 and Ag:MoS2 using Wien2k code.•Fabrication of MoS2 and Ag:MoS2 thin films using magnetron sputtering technique.•Structural studies reveals the formation of well crystalline uniform thin films.•The band structure calculations demonstrate the decrease in band gap for Ag:MoS2.•A significant increase in absorption of MoS2 with Ag incorporation.
MoS2 semiconductor is a promising candidate for photovoltaic applications. The effect of Ag incorporation on optical properties of MoS2 thin films was observed in this study. First principle calculations were performed before experimental investigations using well known Wien2k code for estimation of variation in parameters with incorporation of 12.5% Ag content in MoS2. Pure and Ag incorporated MoS2 thin films were fabricated using magnetron sputter deposition technique. Experimentally found optical parameters approximately follow the similar trend observed in simulation. A sharp increase of absorption in Ag incorporated MoS2 thin film makes it more suitable for photovoltaic applications.