Process-parameter-dependent structural,electrical,and optical properties of reactive magnetron sputtered Ag-Cu-O films

Silver-copper-oxide thin films were formed by rf magnetron sputtering technique using ag80cu20 target at various oxygen partial pressures in the range 5×10 -3-8×10 -2pa and substrate temperatures in the range 303-523k. the effect of oxygen partial pressure and substrate temperature on the structure and surface morphology and electrical and optical properties of the films were studied. the ag-cu-o films formed at room temperature (303k) and at low oxygen partial pressure of 5×10 -3pa were mixed phase of ag 2cu 2o 3 and ag,while those deposited at 2×10 -2pa were composed of ag 2cu 2o 4 and ag 2cu 2o 3 phases. the crystallinity of the films formed at oxygen partial pressure of 2×10 -2pa pa increased with the increase of substrate temperature from 303 to 423k. further increase of substrate temperature to 523k,the films were decomposed in to ag 2o and ag phases. the electrical resistivity of the films decreased from 0.8σcm with the increase of substrate temperature from 303 to 473k due to improvement in the crystallinity of the phase. the optical band gap of the ag-cu-o films increased from 1.47 to 1.83 ev with the increase of substrate temperature from 303 to 473k. © 2011 p. narayana reddy et al.