Detection of dead layers and defects in polycrystalline Cu2O thin-film transistors by x-ray reflectivity and photoresponse spectroscopy analyses

Abstract

Polycrystalline Cu2O films were fabricated on amorphous SiO2 glass by pulsed laser deposition at room temperature and postdeposition thermal annealing in N2 + O2 mixing gases. The authors made a phase map in annealing temperature (Tann) vs RO2 = [O2]/([O2] + [N2]) ratio and found that highly pure Cu2O films were obtained at RO2 ∼ 0.002%. The increase in Tann improved the crystal quality of the Cu2O films, and the maximum Hall mobility of ∼26 cm2/(V s) was obtained at 700 °C. Bottom-gate Cu2O thin-film transistors (TFTs) using the optimum Cu2O channels exhibited clear p-type operation; however, the largest field effect mobility is as small as the order of 10−2 cm2/(V s), indicating the existence of high-density hole trap states. Several subgap states were observed by optical absorption spectra of films and photoresponse spectroscopy of the TFTs. X-ray reflectivity analysis detected a low-density dead layer at the Cu2O–SiO2 glass substrate interface, which would be attributed to Cu diffusion into the glass substrate.