Characterization of Sn-doped CuO thin films prepared by a sol–gel method

This study examined the influence of the Sn doping concentration on the structural, electrical and optical properties of Sn-doped copper oxide (Sn:CuO) thin films synthesized on glass substrates using a facile sol–gel method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Hall Effect measurements, and UV–visible spectroscopy. The carrier concentration, Hall mobility and resistivity of the Sn:CuO films were 9.14 × 1015–1.08 × 1016 cm−3, 6.14–10.5 cm2/Vs and 47.4–77.5 Ω cm, respectively. The crystallite size of the films decreased with increasing Sn content from 84.1 to 61.8 nm. The band gap trended downward from 2.0 to 1.95 eV with increasing Sn doping content. The results showed that SnO2 doping strongly affects the structural, electrical and optical properties of the films.