Effect of the Number of Dips on the Properties of Copper Oxide Thin Films Deposited by Sol-Gel Dip- Coating Technique

Copper oxide thin layers were prepared by sol-gel dip-coating technique. The effect of thickness on morphology, structure, optical and electrical properties was investigated in this study. Copper chloride dihydrate dissolved in methanol was used as precursor material. The scanning electron microscopy results showed more continuity in formation of the clusters and nuclei with the increase in the number of the dips. X-ray diffraction studies showed that all the films were polycrystalline cupric oxide CuO phase with monoclinic structure and grain size in the range of 30.72 - 26.58 nm. The obtained films had clear black in appearance, which was confirmed by the optical transmittance spectra. The optical band gap energies of the deposited films varied from 3.80 to 3.70 eV. The electrical conductivity of the films decreased from 1.90ₓ10^-2 to 7.39ₓ10^-3 (Ω.cm)^-1.