Fabrication of copper-zinc oxide composite thin films from single source precursor by aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition

A new heterobimetallic complex, Zn2(OAc)6(μ-O)2Cu4(bdmap)2Cl2 (1) where bdmap = 1,3-bis(dimethylamino)-2-propanolato and OAc = acetato, was synthesized by direct interaction of a 2:1.5 mixture of Cu(OCH3)Cl/Zn(OAc)2 · 2H2O with bdmapH in toluene at room temperature and characterized by melting point, elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) from complex (1) showed that it is a promising precursor to deposit thin films of crystalline Cu-ZnO (2:1) composite. The chemical composition and surface morphology of the deposited thin films were analysed by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive analytical X-ray (EDAX), which suggest that the films were thin, crystalline, uniform, smooth and tightly adherent to the substrates with particle size ranging from 0.2-0.5 μm at 250 °C to 0.4-0.9 μm at 475 °C. It was also shown that size of the crystallite can be controlled by controlling deposition temperature of the films. The thickness and voltage-current characteristics of thin films were measured with profilometer and voltmeter by using the four-probe method. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.