Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis studies on electron beam evaporated CuOx thin films

Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis studies has been carried out on CuOx films deposited onto yttria-stabilized zirconia single crystal substrates by electron beam evaporation under molecular beam epitaxy conditions. The results showed that copper oxide dissociated under electron beam heating in high vacuum and the reassociation of copper and oxygen to form suboxide (CuOx) at the substrate was a function of its temperature. The maximum oxygen content was found to be about 46 percent of the starting source material at the growth temperature of 500 C, above which the CuOx film started to decompose.