Stable stoichiometric copper nitride thin films via reactive sputtering

Islam, Md Maidul; Georgiev, Daniel G.

doi:10.1007/s00339-022-05726-3

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…As observed, the deposition rate varied depending on the deposition conditions used, obtaining similar values to those reported by other authors [32,36]. These data reveal that the working pressure is essential in thin film fabrication.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

“…In addition, this would indicate that, under such values of N 2 gas pressure, the target "poisoning" effect would not have started yet; hence, a gradual decrease in the deposition rate with the gas pressure was achieved. As observed, the deposition rate varied depending on the deposition conditions used, obtaining similar values to those reported by other authors [32,36]. These data reveal that the working pressure is essential in thin film fabrication.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Regarding the physical ones, sputtering is one of the most popular physical vapour deposition (PVD) methods used to fabricate films of metals, alloys, oxides, and nitrides [28][29][30][31]. Since the pioneering work of Terada et al (1989) on epitaxial growth of copper nitride [32], reactive RF magnetron sputtering has become the most widely used mode for the fabrication of binary nitride. This method involves using a vacuum chamber in which a copper target is bombarded with high-energy ions, causing copper atoms to be ejected from the target and deposited onto a substrate to form a thin film.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This method's ease, simplicity, low cost, reproducibility and sustainability make it a very attractive choice for the growth of Cu 3 N thin films. Previous studies have already reported that by modifying the bias voltage [33], the type of substrate [32], the working pressure [34], and the RF power [35], the film properties can be adjusted, allowing the variation in optical, electrical, structural, and morphological features to suit them to the desired ones depending on the application field. In addition, in our previous works, we have demonstrated the strong effect of RF power on modifying the morphological, structural, and optical Cu 3 N characteristics, intending to use them as solar absorbers for next-generation photovoltaics [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Copper Nitride: A Versatile Semiconductor with Great Potential for Next-Generation Photovoltaics

et al. 2023

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Copper nitride (Cu3N) has gained significant attention recently due to its potential in several scientific and technological applications. This study focuses on using Cu3N as a solar absorber in photovoltaic technology. Cu3N thin films were deposited on glass substrates and silicon wafers via radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at different nitrogen flow ratios with total pressures ranging from 1.0 to 5.0 Pa. The thin films’ structural, morphology, and chemical properties were determined using XRD, Raman, AFM, and SEM/EDS techniques. The results revealed that the Cu3N films exhibited a polycrystalline structure, with the preferred orientation varying from 100 to 111 depending on the working pressure employed. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of Cu-N bonds in characteristic peaks observed in the 618–627 cm−1 range, while SEM and AFM images confirmed the presence of uniform and smooth surface morphologies. The optical properties of the films were investigated using UV-VIS-NIR spectroscopy and photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS). The obtained band gap, refractive index, and Urbach energy values demonstrated promising optical properties for Cu3N films, indicating their potential as solar absorbers in photovoltaic technology. This study highlights the favourable properties of Cu3N films deposited using the RF sputtering method, paving the way for their implementation in thin-film photovoltaic technologies. These findings contribute to the progress and optimisation of Cu3N-based materials for efficient solar energy conversion.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Copper Nitride: A Versatile Semiconductor with Great Potential for Next-Generation Photovoltaics

et al. 2023

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“…Chemical composition was qualitatively determined from EDS data, as summarized in Table 4 . These data revealed a qualitative ratio of Cu to N lower than 3, confirming the non-stoichiometry of the fabricated material [ 48 , 49 ]. From these measurements, the samples showed a slight increase in the Cu/N ratio as the RF increased due to the increase in the amount of Cu atoms; but no significant increase of N in the network was observed with rising gas pressure, as we argued when determining the deposition rate.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 54%

Impact of the RF Power on the Copper Nitride Films Deposited in a Pure Nitrogen Environment for Applications as Eco-Friendly Solar Absorber

et al. 2023

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This material can be considered to be an interesting eco-friendly choice to be used in the photovoltaic field. In this work, we present the fabrication of Cu3N thin films by reactive radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at room temperature, using nitrogen as the process gas. Different RF power values ranged from 25 to 200 W and gas pressures of 3.5 and 5 Pa were tested to determine their impact on the film properties. The morphology and structure were exhaustively examined by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopies and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), respectively. The AFM micrographs revealed different morphologies depending on the total pressure used, and rougher surfaces when the films were deposited at the lowest pressure; whereas FTIR and Raman spectra exhibited the characteristics bands related to the Cu-N bonds of Cu3N. Such bands became narrower as the RF power increased. XRD patterns showed the (100) plane as the preferred orientation, that changed to (111) with the RF power, revealing a worsening in structural quality. Finally, the band gap energy was estimated from transmission spectra carried out with a Perkin Elmer 1050 spectrophotometer to evaluate the suitability of Cu3N as a light absorber. The values obtained demonstrated the capability of Cu3N for solar energy conversion applications, indicating a better film performance under the sputtering conditions 5.0 Pa and RF power values ranged from 50 to 100 W.

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Evaluating Sulfur as a P‐Type Dopant in Cu₃N Using Ab Initio Methods

Alqunais,

Islam,

Dumre

et al. 2024

Physica Status Solidi (b)

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Copper nitride (Cu3N) is an environmentally friendly semiconducting material with bipolar doping capability and is of interest to various applications. As deposited Cu3N films have inherent n‐type conductivity, further controllable n‐type doping is possible by introducing metal impurities. First‐principles methods based on density functional theory and beyond have been employed to study the p‐type doping behavior of sulfur atoms in Cu3N. The structural, electronic, optical, and thermal properties of pure Cu3N and sulfur‐doped Cu3N are computed for single and 3 × 3 × 3 supercells. Sulfur doping causes a shift from intrinsic n‐type to p‐type behavior. This study confirms that sulfur atoms in sulfur‐doped copper nitride preferentially occupy interstitial positions over nitrogen substitution, face‐centered, or copper substitution sites. Due to this change and an increased lattice constant, Cu3N becomes a softer material with a larger bandgap in the single‐cell alloy. Doped Cu3N supercell results show significant changes in optical properties appropriate for solar and other photoelectric applications. Cu3N:S exhibits remarkable enhancements in power factor and thermal and electrical conductivity, indicating potentially better performance in thermoelectric applications. The dielectric constant and absorption coefficient also significantly change with the incorporation of sulfur into Cu3N.

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Stable stoichiometric copper nitride thin films via reactive sputtering

Cited by 9 publications

References 48 publications

Copper Nitride: A Versatile Semiconductor with Great Potential for Next-Generation Photovoltaics

Copper Nitride: A Versatile Semiconductor with Great Potential for Next-Generation Photovoltaics

Impact of the RF Power on the Copper Nitride Films Deposited in a Pure Nitrogen Environment for Applications as Eco-Friendly Solar Absorber

Evaluating Sulfur as a P‐Type Dopant in Cu₃N Using Ab Initio Methods

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Stable stoichiometric copper nitride thin films via reactive sputtering

Cited by 9 publications

References 48 publications

Copper Nitride: A Versatile Semiconductor with Great Potential for Next-Generation Photovoltaics

Copper Nitride: A Versatile Semiconductor with Great Potential for Next-Generation Photovoltaics

Impact of the RF Power on the Copper Nitride Films Deposited in a Pure Nitrogen Environment for Applications as Eco-Friendly Solar Absorber

Evaluating Sulfur as a P‐Type Dopant in Cu3N Using Ab Initio Methods

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Product

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Evaluating Sulfur as a P‐Type Dopant in Cu₃N Using Ab Initio Methods