ELECTRON-SPECTROSCOPY FOR CHEMICAL-ANALYSIS STUDIES ON ELECTRON-BEAM EVAPORATED CUOX THIN-FILMS

Electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis studies were carried out o n CuOx films deposited onto yttria-stabilized zirconia single-crystal substrates by electron-beam evaporation under molecular beam epitaxy c onditions. The measurements were taken without exposing the films to t he atmosphere. The results show that copper oxide dissociates under el ectron-beam heating in high vacuum and the reassociation of copper and oxygen to form suboxide (CuOx) at the substrate is a function of its temperature. The maximum oxygen content was found to be about 46% of t he starting source material at the growth temperature of 500 degrees C , above which the CuOx film starts to decompose.