Mechanical Properties of Cu(2)O Thin Films by Nanoindentation

In this study, the structural and nanomechanical properties of Cu(2)O thin films are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoindentation techniques. The Cu(2)O thin films are deposited on the glass substrates with the various growth temperatures of 150, 250 and 350 °C by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The XRD results show that Cu(2)O thin films are predominant (111)-oriented, indicating a well ordered microstructure. In addition, the hardness and Young’s modulus of Cu(2)O thin films are measured by using a Berkovich nanoindenter operated with the continuous contact stiffness measurements (CSM) option. Results indicated that the hardness and Young’s modulus of Cu(2)O thin films decreased as the growth temperature increased from 150 to 350 °C. Furthermore, the relationship between the hardness and films grain size appears to closely follow the Hall-Petch equation.