Chemical deposition of Cu2O films with ultra-low resistivity: correlation with the defect landscape

Abstract

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is a promising p-type semiconductor material for many applications. So far, the lowest resistivity values are obtained for films deposited by physical methods and/or at high temperatures (~1000 °C), limiting their mass integration. Here, Cu2O thin films with ultra-low resistivity values of 0.4 Ω.cm were deposited at only 260 °C by atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition, a scalable chemical approach. The carrier concentration (7.1014−2.1018 cm−3), mobility (1–86 cm2/V.s), and optical bandgap (2.2–2.48 eV) are easily tuned by adjusting the fraction of oxygen used during deposition. The properties of the films are correlated to the defect landscape, as revealed by a combination of techniques (positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence). Our results reveal the existence of large complex defects and the decrease of the overall defect concentration in the films with increasing oxygen fraction used during deposition.

Spintronic filter via p-typed polaron state in photoelectron conversion integrating devices

“…The working mechanism of the main intrinsic defects is the low formation energy for copper vacancies (V Cu ) and the splitting configuration (V Cu , split). 33,34 As previously mentioned, the polaron surface state is a kind of defect that commonly occurs on the surface of metal–oxide–semiconductor materials. The polaron surface state demonstrates promising properties in spin–orbital coupling for spintronic excitation 10,19,35 via angular momentum-controlled light irradiation, influencing the effects and role of Cu defects in quantum level and energy conversion for high-performance water-splitting devices in well-integrated electronic devices.…”

Assessing the Environmental Impact of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Processes and Pathways to Lower It

“…Nanotechnologies and novel nanomaterials are often highlighted as key solutions enabling to treat pollution generated by human activities and enabling a sustainable future in which less energy is consumed and a larger fraction of it is renewable. , Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an important and versatile technology that enables the manufacturing of material layers at the nanoscale. This vapor phase deposition technique enables the synthesis of a wide variety of nanomaterials such as oxides, − nitrides, , sulfides, , and metals, , with a subnanometer thickness control. − ALD can be used to precisely coat challenging 3D substrates with a conformal and uniform layer down to the angstrom level, a unique cabability among film deposition techniques. − ALD is therefore very relevant for the design and fabrication of new energy (and other) devices in which the nanoengineering of surfaces and interfaces is key for optimizing their performance. ALD-grown materials can be used to tackle various environmental challenges, as they can be applied in niche applications for the improvement of photovoltaics, − membranes, , batteries, or fuel cell technologies. , …”

Highly Transparent and Stable Flexible Electrodes Based on MgO/AgNW Nanocomposites for Transparent Heating Applications

“…[38] Such approach results in higher deposition rates than conventional ALD, [39][40][41] and has been explored for the growth of high-quality materials for many optoelectronic applications at atmospheric pressure and low deposition temperatures. [42][43][44][45][46] However, to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies so far reporting the AP-SALD deposition of MgO.…”