Effect of sputtering power on the physical properties of dc magnetron sputtered copper oxide thin films

Cuprous oxide films were deposited on glass substrates using dc magnetron sputtering technique by sputtering of pure copper target in a mixture of argon and oxygen atmosphere under various sputtering powers in the range 0.38–1.50 W cm⁻². The influence of sputtering power on the structural, electrical and optical properties was systematically studied. The films were polycrystalline in nature with cubic structure. The films formed at sputtering powers ≤0.76 W cm⁻² exhibited mixed phase of Cu₂O and CuO while those formed at 1.08 W cm⁻² were single phase Cu₂O. The single-phase Cu₂O films formed at a sputtering power of 1.08 W cm⁻² showed electrical resistivity of 46 Ω cm, Hall mobility of 5.7 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and optical band gap of 2.04 eV.