Ultrasonic spray pyrolyzed copper oxide and copper-aluminum oxide thin films: Optical, structural and electronic properties

A study of the structural, electrical and optical properties of copper oxide and copper-aluminum oxide thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis is presented in this work. On one hand copper oxide films were deposited at working temperatures in the range from 300 °C to 500 °C. These films present a mixture of Cu₂O and CuO phases, CuO phase being more abundant at higher temperatures; all samples present p-type conductivity. On the other hand, copper-aluminum oxide samples were deposited at 350 °C but with different copper-aluminum ratios in the start solution (0, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 at%). The films present a mixture of Cu₂O and Al₂O₃ phases, being the Cu₂O the most abundant and becoming amorphous as aluminum concentration rises. Electrical characterization indicates that electronic conductivity depends on the amount of Cu₂O, while ionic conductivity increases with aluminum concentration. Aluminum concentration also provokes a shift in the valence band towards lower binding energies, as well as an increase in the optical band gap (from 2.6 to 3.7 eV). Upon a thermal annealing at 800 °C the samples turned to CuAl₂O₄ spinel structure.