Optical properties of highly conductive and transparent Au-incorporated Eu oxide thin films

In this work, gold-incorporated europium oxide films with a level of 4% and 7% have been prepared by the vacuum evaporation method on glass and silicon substrates held at 200 °C. Samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, UV-vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy, and dc-electrical measurements. Insulator-metal-like transformation was observed and explained. The resistivity and bandgap energy of the 7% Au-incorporated Eu oxide were 6.1 × 10−4 Ω cm and 4.66 eV, respectively. These results can be used in transparent-conducting-oxide (TCO) related applications.