Controlled growth and characteristics of single-phase Cu2O and CuO films by pulsed laser deposition

Copper oxide, Cu2O and CuO, thin films have been synthesized on Si (100) substrates using pulsed laser deposition method. The influences of substrate temperature and oxygen pressure on the structural properties of copper oxide films were discussed. The X-ray diffraction results show that the structure of the films changes from Cu2O to CuO phase with the increasing of the oxygen pressure. It is also found that the (200) and (111) preferred Cu2O films can be modified by changing substrate temperature. The formation of Cu2O and CuO films are further identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. For the Cu2O films, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies indicate the presence of CuO on the surface. In addition, the optical gaps of Cu2O and CuO films have been determined by measuring the transmittance and reflectance spectra.