Synthesis and Characterization of Un-Doped and Copper Doped Nickel Oxide Thin Films

In this research, the effect copper on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of nickel oxide thin films was studied at different copper concentrations. Thin transparent films of nickel oxide (NiO) doped with copper (Cu) were deposited on glass substrates at a temperature of 400 °C using the spray pyrolysis technique. The structural study showed that all the prepared polycrystalline films had a cubic structure with a preferential orientation along (111). Copper was well integrated into the host lattice without changing the structure. SEM images showed that the films were well adhered with a wrinkled network structure. The optical band gap ranges from 3.70 eV to 3.50 eV, and the Urbach energy, which ranges from 0.34 eV to 0.5 eV, has also been discussed. The highest conductivity value of 6.23 × 10⁻³ (Ω·cm)⁻¹ was found at a copper concentration of 2 %.