Fine-tuning high electrical conductivity of Mg-Doped CuCrO2 delafossite thin films through preferred-(110) orientation and film thickness control

High-performance CuCr0·95Mg0·05O2 delafossite thin films were grown on soda-lime glass substrates using dc magnetron sputtering. The electrical and structural properties of the films were found to be tightly correlated, with the preferred-(110) orientation playing a crucial role in high electrical conductivity. The optimal thickness for the best (110) orientation was 550 nm, and the (110) peak only appeared in films thicker than 400 nm. The results demonstrate that dc magnetron sputtering can produce high-quality CuCr0·95Mg0·05O2 thin films with preferred-(110) crystal orientation, which is important for high electrical conductivity. The 550-nm thick sample showed the best electrical properties with a low resistivity of 4.08 × 10−2 Ω cm. Optimized growth conditions of CuCr0·95Mg0·05O2 thin films, including preferred-(110) orientation and optimal thickness, may lead to high-performance p-type oxide materials that complement suitable n-type materials for optoelectronic applications.