Highly oriented polycrystalline Cu2O film formation using RF magnetron sputtering deposition for solar cells

Abstract

Articles you may be interested inDeposition of aluminum-doped zinc oxide thin films for optical applications using rf and dc magnetron sputter deposition J.Low temperature magnetron sputter deposition of polycrystalline silicon thin films using high flux ion bombardment Improvement of CdTe solar cell performance with discharge control during film deposition by magnetron sputtering Abstract. Room temperature sputtering deposition and re-crystallization of the deposited thin films by rapid thermal annealing have been evaluating in detail as a formation method of Cu 2 O active layer for solar cells, which minimize thermal budget in fabrication processes. Single phase polycrystalline Cu 2 O films were obtained by a magnetron rf sputtering deposition and its crystallinity and electrical characteristics were controlled by the annealing. Hall mobility was improved up to 17 cm 2 V -1 s -1 by the annealing at 600°C for 30s. Since this value was smaller than 47 cm 2 V -1 s -1 of the film deposited under thermal equilibrium state using pulsed laser deposition at 600°C, some contrivances were necessary to compensate the deficiency. It was understood that the sputter-deposited Cu 2 O films on (111)-oriented Pt films were strongly oriented to (111) face also by the self-assembly and the crystallinity was improved by the annealing preserving its orientation. The sputter-deposited film quality was expected to become equivalent to the pulsed laser deposition film from the results of X-ray diffractometry and photoluminescence.

Orientation dependence of electrical properties of polycrystalline Cu2O thin films

“…thermal budget [10], which is why this study employs no intentional substrate or post-deposition heating. Cu 2 O has a fundamental band gap energy of 2.17 eV and it is an intrinsic p-type semiconductor in which the main acceptors are copper vacancies [11].…”