Study of the growth conditions and characterization of CaCu2Ox and SrCu2Ox thin films

✍ Scribed by C. Millon; J.L. Deschanvres; C. Jiménez; N. Macsporran; B. Servet; O. Durand; M. Modreanu

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 706 KB
• Volume: 201
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0257-8972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2007.04.121

✦ Synopsis

MCu 2 O 2 (M = Ca, Ba, Mg, Sr) are promising materials for the development of new p-type transparent conductive oxide thin films. We report on a study of the growth conditions of MCu 2 O x (M = Ca, Sr) thin films by injection MOCVD and on the characterization of their structural properties. By using calcium or strontium, and copper tetramethylheptanedionate as precursors dissolved in meta-xylene, cuprate films added with either calcium or strontium have been grown by injection MOCVD in the 450 °C-750 °C deposition temperature range.

The main factors for the deposition of films presenting good adherence and a high mirror reflection effect are the deposition temperature and the oxygen partial pressure during deposition. As-deposited Ca-based films are mainly composed of CaCu 2 O 3 or a mixture of CaCO 3 , CaO, CuO and Cu 2 O, depending on the oxygen partial pressure and Sr-based films are composed of SrCO 3 , CuO. Different annealing under argon atmosphere has been performed in order to obtain the searched phase, which needs the reduction of copper in the 1 + oxidation state. We have succeeded to obtain SrCu 2 O 2 phase by Rapid Thermal Processing but did not achieve to obtain the Ca-based compound.