Influence of thermal annealing on the structural and optical properties of nanostructures based on copper oxides
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This work shows the influence of different thermal treatment conditions on the growth of copper oxide nanostructures, which are formed by subjecting a 388 ± 7 nm thick copper film to a temperature of 400 °C in air atmosphere. Thin layers of copper were grown on silicon substrates, using thermal evaporation technique. The parameters involved in this study are: The initial condition for which the samples reach 400 °C, with ramp and without heating ramp and the annealing time. Based on the results obtained by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, it was possible to establish that thermal treatments generate a change in both the crystalline structure and the morphology of the Cu layer, mediated by the formation of nanostructures of mixed character, composed of a mixture of phases referring to Cu metallic, Cuprite (Cu2O) and Tenorite (CuO), the CuO being the majority phase in all nanostructured samples. The average grain size range is between 21 – 53 nm and depends on the type of heat treatment. Furthermore, the optical properties of the material were evaluated by UV-VIS spectroscopy, showing bands in both regions (ultraviolet and visible), which were analyzed by the Tauc extrapolation method; obtaining values for the band prohibited between (1.40 – 1.49) eV associated with a P-type conductivity of this class of semiconductor metal oxides.
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Accepted 2021-10-02
Published 2022-01-15
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