Sol–Gel-Derived Cu-Doped ZnO Thin Films for Optoelectronic Applications

Abstract

for 6% doping at room temperature. The p-type conductivity in these films easily degraded with time, which may be due to the interaction of films with ambient conditions or may be due to the diffusion of indium inside the material. After 15 days, ambient-exposed films were totally converted into n-type, whereas the vacuum-placed film still shows p-type behavior with good mobility. This study shows that sol-gel-derived Cu-doped thin films show low electrical resistivity, p-type conductivity, and high transmittance and can be used for optoelectronics devices if these films were well prepared, protected, and properly passivated.