Systematic investigation of the effect of immersion cycle number on electronic, structural, morphological and optical properties of Cu2O thin films deposited by SILAR method
OPTICAL MATERIALS, cilt.179, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 179
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.optmat.2026.118320
- Dergi Adı: OPTICAL MATERIALS
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Applied Science & Technology Source, Chimica, Compendex, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This study reports the successful deposition of phase-pure copper (I) oxide Cu2O thin films on glass substrates via the Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method at a constant temperature of 70 degrees C. The influence of the number of immersion cycles (10, 20, and 40) on the electronic, structural, morphological, and optical properties of the films was systematically investigated. A combined X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and theoretical Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) approach was employed to correlate surface chemistry with bulk atomic structure. Results confirmed phase-pure Cu2O with a dominant Cu + oxidation state, and revealed how deposition parameters modulate local bonding, disorder, and stoichiometry. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses showed that the films crystallized in a cubic, polycrystalline phase and exhibited improved crystallinity at higher cycle numbers. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images demonstrated that increasing the number of cycles produced denser, more homogeneous morphologies. Optical measurements indicated a clear reduction in band gap energy with increasing number of immersion cycles: 2.45 eV (10 cycles), 2.08 eV (20 cycles), and 1.88 eV (40 cycles). These findings highlight the direct relationship between immersion cycle number, film thickness, and optoelectronic properties, confirming that the SILAR method enables reliable and tunable control of Cu2O thin film characteristics.