The Effect of Electrolyte Temperature on the Electrodeposition of Cuprous Oxide Films

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) thin films were deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass by electrochemical deposition at different electrolyte temperature. The electrodeposition process was found to be a reductive irreversible process with a major phase, Cu2O, and appreciable amount of CuO. With the increasing temperature, the microstructure varied from fine grains, amorphous-like, to coarse pyramids, well-crystallized, which were identified as the texture development transforming from (200) to (111). Not only was the increasing temperature of electrodepostion found to induce the optical red-shift of band gap from 2.19 to 2.68 eV but it inhabited electrical transmittance with resistivity from 11.28 to 0.24 Omega-cm.