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Physical Characteristics of Low-Dose Nitrogen Ions-Implanted Copper Oxide Thin Film on n-Si (100) Substrate

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Abstract

Thin film of copper oxide was deposited onto a silicon substrate through DC magnetron sputtering system. Nitrogen ions (N+) were implanted into the film using Pelletron Accelerator at different doses (5 × 1012, 5 × 1013 and 5 × 1014 ions/cm2) while maintaining a constant ion energy of 300 keV. The X-ray diffraction study revealed a diffraction peak of CuO (− 111) in all the samples. The crystallite size of CuO decreased at 5 × 1012 ions/cm2 and then increased with the dose up to 5 × 1014 ions/cm2. The decrease in crystallite size was attributed to structural disorder in the film caused by ions irradiation, while at relatively higher doses (> 5 × 1012 ions/cm2), localized thermal effects improved the structural ordering of the material through the annihilation of defects. The surface morphology of the film showed a decrease in its grain size at 5 × 1012 ions/cm2, followed by an increase with a further increase in the ion dose. N+ implantation at 5 × 1012 ions/cm2 decreased the surface roughness of CuO, while the roughness remained constant at the higher doses. The electrical resistivity of CuO decreased upon N+ implantation at 5 × 1012 ions/cm2 and then increased with a further increase in the ion dose. The band gap of the CuO exhibited a similar trend to that of its resistivity and crystallite size. These findings show that the N+ implantation serves as an effective method for tuning the physical properties of the copper oxide film, for its superior performance in the electronic and optoelectronic devices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Advanced Studies in Physics, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan

    Muhammad Arslan Ayub, Naveed Afzal & Mohsin Rafique

  2. School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

    Sameen Aslam

  3. Department of Physics, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, 87300, Pakistan

    Sameen Aslam

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  1. Muhammad Arslan Ayub
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Correspondence to Naveed Afzal.

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Ayub, M.A., Afzal, N., Rafique, M. et al. Physical Characteristics of Low-Dose Nitrogen Ions-Implanted Copper Oxide Thin Film on n-Si (100) Substrate. Arab J Sci Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-024-09107-1

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