Studies on Dual Sputtered CuGaO2 Thin Films

Abstract

There has been extensive research conducted on n-type transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films like Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) [1], Al-doped ZnO (AZO) [2], etc. P-type transparent conducting oxides are yet to be researched extensively. Active devices such as p-n junction devices and transistors are required to make progress in the development of transparent electronics. In this effort, research in p-Type TCOs is important. Most of the p-Type TCOs are copper-based ternary oxides [3].In this work, CuGaO2 thin films were prepared using the dual-target RF magnetron sputtering technique. Cu2O and Ga2O3 targets were simultaneously sputtered on quartz substrates. The sputtering power of Cu2O was kept constant at 50 W and the sputtering power of Ga2O3 was varied. The films were deposited at room temperature and were subsequently annealed in nitrogen ambiance at 900 °C. The X-ray diffraction and optical studies were performed to analyze the films to optimize their properties.[1] Fallah, H.; Ghasemi, M.; Hassanzadeh, A.; Steki, H. The effect of annealing on structural, electrical and optical properties of nanostructured ITO films prepared by e-beam evaporation. Mater. Res. Bull. 2007, 42, 487–496[2] Shantheyanda, B.P.; Todi, V.O.; Sundaram, K.B.; Vijayakumar, A.; Oladeji, I. Compositional study of vacuum annealed Al doped ZnO thin films obtained by RF magnetron sputtering. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 2011, 29, 051514.[3] Sundaresh, S.; Bharath, A.H.; Sundaram, K.B. Effect of Cu2O Sputtering Power Variation on the Characteristics of Radio Frequency Sputtered p-Type Delafossite CuCrO2 Thin Films. Coatings 2023, 13, 395.