Ultrasonic spray-pyrolyzed CuCrO₂ thin films

In this paper the optical, structural and electrical properties of CuCrO₂ thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at temperatures from 400 to 600 °C in steps of 50 °C are presented. Copper and chromium acetylacetonates were chosen as sources of Cu and Cr, respectively, and N,N-dimethylformamide was used as the solvent. X-ray results confirmed that the films as deposited showed the CuCrO₂ phase without any post-deposition thermal annealing. The surface morphology was observed to be mirror like, and as the films were deposited at different temperatures, they gradually revealed the presence of small crystallites. The best film's optical percentage transmission (in the visible region), about 58%, was obtained in films deposited at 450 °C, and the highest band gap energy (3.17 eV) was measured in films deposited at 400 °C. The electrical properties of the films were obtained by the Hall effect. A hole concentration in the range 10¹⁹-10²¹ cm^-3, conductivity as high as 35 S cm^-1, and mobility lower than 1 cm² V^-1 s^-1 were obtained in the films. p-type conductivity was confirmed using the hot point probe arrangement, and the Seebeck coefficient was estimated. The hole conductivity is thought to be due to excess oxygen in the films. Finally, the minimum energy required to transfer carriers from acceptor level to the valence band in the films was estimated by impedance spectroscopy.