SYNTHESIS OF CUPROUS OXIDE THIN FILMS BY RF-MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

Abstract

Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) thin films were produced from metallic Cu targets on [Formula: see text]-Al 2 O 3 (000[Formula: see text]) substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technology. Three batches of samples were deposited under various sputtering parameters by modulating substrate temperature, gas flow and sputtering power, respectively. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Through the experiment, the influences of the sputtering conditions were systematically investigated. It could be inferred that the crystallization extent and the crystal orientation in Cu 2 O thin films mainly depend on the temperature exchange, which contribute to the variation of the film morphology. Moreover, the gas flow has an effect on the valence of the copper ion in the film and the sputtering power mainly affects the growth rate of the films. This research promotes a more specific scheme to deposit proper Cu 2 O thin films with proper morphology and useful properties.