Deposition and characterization of lithium doped direct current magnetron sputtered Cu2O films

Lithium doped cuprous oxide (Cu2O:Li) films were deposited on quartz substrates by direct current magnetron reactive co-sputtering of copper and Cu:Li targets. X-ray diffraction (XRD), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, UV-VIS transmittance, and room temperature Hall measurements have been conducted to characterize the deposited films. SIMS revealed Li concentrations in the range 2×1018−5×1020cm−3 in the doped films. XRD confirms phase pure Cu2O for all doping concentrations. The doping concentration correlates with an increased free carrier density found from Hall effect measurements. The highest Li doping concentration results in low resistivity (4Ωcm) p-type Cu2O with acceptor concentrations up to 2×1017cm−3.