Structural and Morphological Characterization of Cu-Doped SnO2Thin Films

Subject Areas : Journal of Environmental Friendly Materials

shima khosravani ¹ , Fatemeh Hajakbari ² , Alireza Hojabri ³

1 - Department of Physics, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
2 - Department of Physics, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
3 - Department of Physics, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University

Received: 2024-05-15 Accepted : 2024-10-03 Published : 2024-12-15

Keywords: Cu-Doped SnO2, Glass, FTO, Thin Film, RF Sputtering, Nanocrystalline,

Abstract :

This study investigated the structural and morphological properties of Cu-doped SnO2 films grown on glass and FTO (fluorine tin oxide) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering and annealed at a temperature of 600 ºC. The techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were employed to characterize the structural and morphological properties of the films. The XRD results verified the formation of a polycrystalline SnO2 in a tetragonal structure for all samples. The sample deposited on the FTO exhibited a larger crystallite size compared to the sample deposited on a glass substrate. AFM and FESEM images exhibit that the type of the substrates influences the morphology, roughness, and grain sizes of the films. The EDX analysis confirmed the presence of Sn, O, and Cu elements in the films. The results show that the choice of substrate can significantly impact the structural and morphological characteristics of deposited films, influencing their potential applications in various fields such as solar cells and gas sensors

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