Investigation of variation of energy of laser beam on structural, electrical and optical properties of pulsed laser deposited CuO thin films

Abstract

In this paper, copper oxide (CuO) thin films have been deposited successfully by pulsed laser deposition technique using copper metal as target material. Thin films have been prepared under different energy of laser pulses ranging from 100mJ/pulse to 250 mJ/pulse. These films have been characterized for their structural, electrical and optical properties by using X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), Four probe method and UV spectroscopy. Morphological and structural studies show that there is increase in crystallite size with the increase in energy of laser beam. Thus resulting in improved crystallinity and degree of orientation of the CuO thin films. Optoelectrical properties show direct relation between conductivity and energy of laser beam. Optical analysis of CuO thin films prepared under different energy of laser beam shows good agreement with structural analysis. The prepared CuO thin films show high absorbance in the UV and visible range and thus are suitable candidate for thin films solar cell application.