Improved performance of transparent p-type conductors CuCrO2:Mg delafossite thin films through easy and low cost laser annealing

• Published in: Materials letters 2022-04, Vol.313, p.131795, Article 131795
• Main Authors: Veron, F., Pasquet, I., Thimont, Y., Barnabé, A., Tailhades, Ph
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Annealing; Chemical Sciences; Conductors; Delafossite; Engineering Sciences; Figure of merit; Glass substrates; Heat treatment; Laser beam annealing; Laser direct writing; Lasers; Low cost; Materials science; P-type semiconductors; p-Type transparent conductors oxide (TCO); Photolithography; Thin films
• ISSN: 0167-577X; 1873-4979
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2022.131795

[Display omitted] •CuCrO2:Mg delafossite thin films: improved transparent p-type conductors.•Local crystallization of delafossite films by low power laser annealing.•Laser annealing of delafossite films by a conventional photolithography machine.•Improvement of electrical conductivity and optical transparence of CuCrO2:Mg films.•Original treatment for high performance delafossite films on conventional glass. Films deposited on glass substrate by RF sputtering, were heat treated in air by a low power laser spot thanks to conventional photolithography machine, to obtain pure CuCr0.97Mg0.03O2 delafossite with an optical transmittance of 0.58 and a conductivity of 5.8S.cm−1. The Haacke’s figure of merit is improved to reach 2.07 × 10-7Ω−1. Laser annealing by a photolithography machine is thus very interesting for enhancing the p-type transparent conductor properties of such delafossite phases. A local annealing according to selected patterns could also be envisaged, opening up exciting prospects for fast and low cost making the most of these transparent p-type semiconductors.