Effect of thermal annealing on electrical and optical properties of Ba-doped SrCu2O2 thin films on glass substrates

Ba‐doped SrCu2O2 (SCO) thin films were synthesized by annealing Ba‐doped SrCuO films deposited on glass substrates by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) and composed of SrCO3 and CuO. In order to reduce cracks formed during conventional thermal annealing and therefore, to enhance optical and electrical properties of the films, annealing conditions were optimized in terms of heating rate, cooling rate and annealing time. The SCO phase was obtained after annealing at 650 °C for 5 min leading to a complete decomposition of the initial phases via an intermediate SrCuO2 phase. Optical characterizations of the SCO films indicate a transmittance of 75% in the visible range at 550 nm and a direct bandgap of 3.25 eV; their electrical conductivity was measured to be 4.3 × 10−2 S cm−1.