Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Nadjette Belhamra ¹
• Sabah Haffas ²
• Okba Belahsen ¹
• Nourelhouda Redjouh ¹
• Nadjette Belhamra ¹
• Zahia Bencharef ¹

¹ Physics Laboratory of Thin Layers and Applications, Biskra University, BP 145 RP, Biskra 07000, Algeria

² Matter science, science exact faculty, university of Biskra, Algeria

Abstract

In this study, we synthesized undoped and doped cobalt oxide (Co3O4) thin films at a concentration of 0.2 M, incorporating varying copper doping levels of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt. % through spray py-rolysis technique (SPT). The present investigation aims to enhance the characteristics of the films, including the crystalline size, band gap energy, and electrical conductivity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine the size of the crystalline structures. The findings indicate that in-corporating Cu leads to an increase in the crystallite size. The crystal size (D) increased to 40.94 nm after doping with 10 wt.% Cu. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping analysis validated the presence of copper within the Co3O4 thin films. We identified two distinct band gaps from the ab-sorption coefficient measurements: E1 and E2. The band gap energy values ranged from 1.441 to 1.388 eV and from 2.061 to 2.012 eV, depending on the Cu doping concentration. The electrical properties demonstrated a reduction in the Rsheet resistance and an enhancement in the electrical conductivity as the concentration of Cu increased.

Keywords

• Copper
• oxide cobalt
• spinel lattice
• SP deposition
• characterization

Main Subjects

• Thin Films