Effect of Process Pressure on the Properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering
Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates using RF magnetron sputtering under various process pressures, and their structural, morphological, compositional, and optical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the films crystallize...
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2024-12-01
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| author | Junghwan Park Chang-Sik Son Young-Guk Son Donghyun Hwang |
| author_facet | Junghwan Park Chang-Sik Son Young-Guk Son Donghyun Hwang |
| author_sort | Junghwan Park |
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| description | Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates using RF magnetron sputtering under various process pressures, and their structural, morphological, compositional, and optical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the films crystallized in the cubic Cu<sub>2</sub>O phase, with the highest crystallinity observed at 5 mTorr, as evidenced by the sharp and intense (111) peak. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the predominance of Cu<sub>2</sub>O vibrational modes across all samples, with improved phase purity and crystallinity at 5 mTorr and 10 mTorr. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed that the films deposited at 5 mTorr and 10 mTorr exhibited densely packed, well-defined grains, while those at 1 mTorr and 15 mTorr displayed irregular or poorly defined morphologies. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the presence of Cu(I) without significant secondary phases, with slight surface oxidation observed at higher pressures. Optical characterization revealed that transmittance increased with pressure, reaching ~90% in the NIR range at 15 mTorr. The optical band gap (<i>E</i><sub>g</sub>) values increased from 2.34 eV at 1 mTorr to 2.43 eV at 15 mTorr with higher process pressure. Cu<sub>2</sub>O films deposited at 5 mTorr and 10 mTorr exhibited an optimal balance between high transparency and band gap values. These findings highlight the critical role of process pressure in determining the properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin films and identify 5 mTorr as the optimal deposition condition for achieving high-quality films with superior structural and optical performance. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-71c0a523ef0344ec80508269d6c8b5d52025-01-24T13:27:58ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522024-12-01151210.3390/cryst15010002Effect of Process Pressure on the Properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron SputteringJunghwan Park0Chang-Sik Son1Young-Guk Son2Donghyun Hwang3School of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Silla University, Busan 46958, Republic of KoreaSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, Silla University, Busan 46958, Republic of KoreaCu<sub>2</sub>O thin films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates using RF magnetron sputtering under various process pressures, and their structural, morphological, compositional, and optical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the films crystallized in the cubic Cu<sub>2</sub>O phase, with the highest crystallinity observed at 5 mTorr, as evidenced by the sharp and intense (111) peak. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the predominance of Cu<sub>2</sub>O vibrational modes across all samples, with improved phase purity and crystallinity at 5 mTorr and 10 mTorr. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) showed that the films deposited at 5 mTorr and 10 mTorr exhibited densely packed, well-defined grains, while those at 1 mTorr and 15 mTorr displayed irregular or poorly defined morphologies. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the presence of Cu(I) without significant secondary phases, with slight surface oxidation observed at higher pressures. Optical characterization revealed that transmittance increased with pressure, reaching ~90% in the NIR range at 15 mTorr. The optical band gap (<i>E</i><sub>g</sub>) values increased from 2.34 eV at 1 mTorr to 2.43 eV at 15 mTorr with higher process pressure. Cu<sub>2</sub>O films deposited at 5 mTorr and 10 mTorr exhibited an optimal balance between high transparency and band gap values. These findings highlight the critical role of process pressure in determining the properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin films and identify 5 mTorr as the optimal deposition condition for achieving high-quality films with superior structural and optical performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/1/2Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin filmradio frequency magnetron sputteringprocess pressurestructural propertycompositional propertyoptical property |
| spellingShingle | Junghwan Park Chang-Sik Son Young-Guk Son Donghyun Hwang Effect of Process Pressure on the Properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering Crystals Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin film radio frequency magnetron sputtering process pressure structural property compositional property optical property |
| title | Effect of Process Pressure on the Properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering |
| title_full | Effect of Process Pressure on the Properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Process Pressure on the Properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Process Pressure on the Properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering |
| title_short | Effect of Process Pressure on the Properties of Cu<sub>2</sub>O Thin Films Deposited by RF Magnetron Sputtering |
| title_sort | effect of process pressure on the properties of cu sub 2 sub o thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering |
| topic | Cu<sub>2</sub>O thin film radio frequency magnetron sputtering process pressure structural property compositional property optical property |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/15/1/2 |
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