Atomic layer deposition of copper oxide using copper(II) acetylacetonate and ozone

Abstract

We report on the deposition of copper oxide by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using copper acetylacetonate (Cu(acac)2) and ozone (O 3) as precursors. The aim is to deposit oxides of copper as possible candidates for materials in all-oxide photovoltaics. The present study results in ALD-type deposition of the tenorite phase of copper(II) oxide in a temperature window of 150 °C to ca. 230 °C, with a growth rate of ∼0.038 nm per cycle. The resulting ALD characteristics, with a relatively large ALD window in deposition temperature, should be well suited for combination with additional deposition processes for the formation of complex compounds. The film thickness is studied using X-ray reflectivity (XRR), and phase is determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surface roughness is studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to investigate the chemical state of the deposited films. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.