Control of the growth orientation and electrical properties of polycrystalline Cu2O thin films by group-IV elements doping

The effects of group-IV element dopants on the structural and electrical properties of Cu2O thin films were studied. Similar dopant-induced behavior was found in the observed variations of the growth orientation and electrical properties of Si- and Ge-doped Cu2O thin films. Ge doping was found to induce electrically active acceptors with an activation energy of 0.18 eV, comparable to the 0.19 eV value of Si-doped Cu2O. These results suggest that locally formed silicate and germanate have the same effect on the structural and electrical properties of Cu2O. On the other hand, Sn and Pb likely act as donors when incorporated substitutionally onto Cu-lattice sites, although further study may be required to suppress self-compensation effects in Cu2O to achieve n-type conductivity. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.