CuCr1−xNixO2 thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition

CuCr1−xNixO2, (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) thin films were prepared on non-alkali glass substrates by chemical solution deposition. The effects of Ni content in CuCr1−xNixO2 thin films on the microstructural, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all the samples presented the delafossite structure. The transmittance of the CuCr1−xNixO2 thin films was above 60% in the visible region, and the band gap was between 3.02 and 3.17 eV. It was found that the electrical resistance was decreased by increasing doping amount of Ni2+ ions. The lowest resistivity with relatively high carrier concentration was obtained in CuCr0.6Ni0.4O2 thin films. The experimental results imply that it is possible to get higher electrical conductivity of p-type transparent conducting oxides from CuCrO2 via doping with divalent ions.