Synthesis and Characterization of Radio-Frequency-Sputtered Delafossite Copper Indium Oxide (CuInO₂) Thin Films

Abstract

The deposition of CuInO2 films was achieved for the first time through a dual target RF magnetron sputtering technique using Cu and In2O3 targets. It is found that the sputtering power of the Cu target has a significant effect on the structural, morphological, and optical characteristics of the films. The sputtering power of Cu was varied from 5 to 50 W while the sputtering power of In2O3 was held constant at 50 W. From the X-ray diffraction analysis, it was confirmed that pure-phase CuInO2 was obtained at a Cu sputtering power of 5 W. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that Cu exists in the oxidation state of 1+ in the films sputtered with 5 W Cu, further confirming the successful synthesis of single-phase CuInO2. Nanocrystalline growth was confirmed through scanning electron microscopy performed on all post-deposition annealed films. Further, it was observed that grain size increased from 18.49 to 63.34 nm as Cu sputtering power is increased from 5 to 50 W. The optical studies were performed on the post-deposition annealed films in the 300 to 800 nm wavelength range. The optical transmission and the optical bandgap were found to decrease with increase in the Cu sputtering power.

Comparative study of the structural, magnetic and electrical properties of cuprous delafossites CuBO2(B = Zn, Mn and Er) prepared using the flash auto-combustion technique

“…Similarly, shake-up satellite peaks corresponding to Cu2p 1/2 are at 961.9 eV. The presence of satellite peaks in the Cu delafosite confirms the presence of Cu in the 2+ oxidation state [44].…”

Deposition and Optical Characterization of Sputter Deposited p-Type Delafossite CuGaO2 Thin Films Using Cu2O and Ga2O3 Targets

“…Extensive research has been conducted on n-type TCOs such as Sn-doped In 2 O 3 (ITO) [9,10], Sc-doped ZnO [11,12], and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) [13][14][15][16]. Nonetheless, there exists a lack of research on p-type TCOs, impeding the progress of transparent electronics applications [17][18][19]. In the case of p-type TCOs, it is difficult to synthesize a film that has both good optical transparency and high electrical conductivity.…”

Material and Antibacterial Properties of Spinel-Structure Ca-Doped ZnCo2O4 Thin Films

“…Materials such as zinc oxide and indium tin oxide are currently widely used in thin-film electrodes, solar cells, and displays. [1][2][3] Thus, the development of new applicable semiconductor oxides is an important area of research. The ZnCo 2 O 4 spinel structure has optical, electrical, magnetic, and photocatalytic properties that meet the needs of material development.…”