Characterization of copper oxide thin films deposited by the thermal evaporation of cuprous oxide (Cu2O)

Abstract Thin films of copper oxide were deposited by thermal evaporation of cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) powder. The substrates were either unheated or heated to a temperature of 300 °C. The films were also annealed in air at a temperature of 500 °C for 3 h. The films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and UV-visible spectrophotometry. The effects of the substrate temperature and post-deposition annealing on the chemical, structural and optical properties of the films were investigated. As-deposited films on unheated substrates consisted of mixed cupric oxide (CuO) and Cu 2 O phases, with a higher concentration of the Cu 2 O phase. However, the films deposited on heated substrates and the annealed films were predominantly of the CuO phase.

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