Magnetic, optical and electrical properties of Mn-doped CuCrO2 thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition method

• Published in: Journal of sol-gel science and technology Vol. 59; no. 2; pp. 222 - 227
• Main Authors: Wang, Yun Feng, Gu, Yi Jing, Wang, Tao, Shi, Wang Zhou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.08.2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Ceramics; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Colloidal gels. Colloidal sols; Colloidal state and disperse state; Composites; Deposition; Electrical properties; Electrical resistivity; Energy gaps (solid state); Exact sciences and technology; Ferromagnetism; General and physical chemistry; Glass; Inorganic Chemistry; Magnetic properties; Manganese; Manganese ions; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Natural Materials; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Organic chemistry; Original Paper; P-type semiconductors; Resistivity; Sapphire; Semiconductors; Silicon; Substrates; Thin films; X-ray diffraction; CuCrO; P-type conductivity; Delafossites; Transparent conductive oxide; Conduction; Electrical conductivity; Film; Oxides; Mechanism; Thin film; Grain boundary; Energy; Optical properties; Ferromagnetism; Chemical solution; Annealing; Semiconductor materials; Electrical properties; Conductivity; Ions; Orientation; X ray diffraction; Transmittance; Substrate; Sol gel process; Chemical deposition
• ISSN: 0928-0707; 1573-4846
• DOI: 10.1007/s10971-011-2487-7

CuCrO 2 and CuCrO 2 :Mn thin films were prepared on sapphire substrates by chemical solution deposition method. The effects of the annealing temperatures and Mn concentration on the structural, electrical and optical properties were investigated. The X-ray diffraction measurement was used to confirm the c-axis orientation of CuCrO 2 and CuCrO 2 :Mn thin films. The maximum transmittances of the films in the visible region are about 65% with direct band gaps of 3.25 eV. All films showed the p-type conduction and semiconductor behavior. The electrical conductivity decreases rapidly with the increase of Mn content, the maximum of the electrical conductivity of 1.35 × 10 −2 S cm −1 is CuCrO 2 film deposited at 600 °C temperature in 10 −3 Torr vacuum, which is about four orders of magnitude higher than that of the Mn-doped CuCrO 2 thin film. The energy band of the samples is constructed based on the grain-boundary scattering in order to investigate the conduction mechanism. Moreover, the samples exhibit a clear ferromagnetism, which was likely ascribed to originating from the double-exchange interaction between the Mn 3+ and Cr 3+ ions.