Effect of Deposition Parameters on Morphological and Compositional Characteristics of Electrodeposited CuFeO2 Film

Abstract

Deposition parameters determine the characteristics of semiconductor films in electrodeposition. Thus, it is essential to understand the effect of deposition parameters on the electrodeposited film for fabricating suitable semiconductor film fitting for various applications. In this work, the morphological and compositional properties of electrodeposited delafossite CuFeO2 film, according to the deposition parameters, were studied. The CuFeO2 film was fabricated by the galvanostatic electrodeposition and post-annealing process under inert gas flow. The type of solvent, electrolyte condition, applied current density and deposition time were controlled as the variable deposition parameters. As a result, the typical CuFeO2 film, without any impurities, was electrodeposited in the electrolyte-based DMSO solvent. Interestingly, the concentration of potassium perchlorate as a complexing agent caused morphological change in electrodeposited CuFeO2 film, as well as compositional transition. On the other hand, the applied current density and deposition time only influenced the morphology of electrodeposited CuFeO2 film. These observations would provide specific guidelines for the fabrication of electrodeposited CuFeO2 film with suitable composition and morphology for various applications.