Growth and characterization of CuxO (x=1, 2) nanocrystalline layers grown on silicon obtained by thermal copper oxidation

• Main Authors: José Eladio Flores-Mena, Roberto Saul Castillo-Ojeda, Joel Diaz-Reyes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan 2014-12-01
• Series: Mexican Journal of Materials Science and Engineering
• Subjects: CuxO; thermal oxidation technique; AFM; XRD
• Online Access: http://intranet.matematicas.uady.mx/mjmatse/volumenes/volumen1/3/MJMATSE_1_3_46.pdf

$\mathrm{CuO}$ and $\mathrm{Cu}_2\mathrm{O}$ layers of nanometric thicknesses on monocrystalline silicon were grown by thermal oxidation technique. The $\mathrm{Cu}_2\mathrm{O}$ layers were obtained at a temperature of $200^oC$, whereas for the phase of the $\mathrm{CuO}$ was necessary to use a higher oxidation temperature, $500^oC$. The copper layers were deposited on crystalline silicon by autocatalysis using watery solutions of $200^oC$CuSO}_4$ and Hydrofluoric acid. The thicknesses of the copper oxide layers are in the range from 30 to 150 nm. In the characterization of the layers of oxidized copper and of cuprous oxide were used different techniques: In order to examine the morphology of the surface of the layers atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used and for the identification of the different crystalline phases was used X-rays diffraction.