Influence of Cu Incorporation on Physical Properties of Nickel Oxide Thin Films Synthesized by Sol-Gel Method

Undoped and Cu doped NiO thin films were fabricated on ITO coated glass substrates by sol-gel spin coating method. Effect of Cu content on the structure, morphology, optical and electrical properties were investigated via XRD, FESEM, UV-Vis spectrophotometer and Keithley source meter. The films formed were polycrystalline with large grain size as confirmed by XRD and FESEM results respectively. Successful doping of Cu into NiO lattice was confirmed by EDAX analysis. The NiO thin films doped with copper exhibited high absorbance as compared to the undoped NiO thin films. A remarkable enhancement in conductivity has been occurred after Cu inclusion which is evident from high current values of doped sample in current voltage characteristics.