Precursor to Gas Sensor: A Detailed Study of the Suitability of Copper Complexes as an MOCVD Precursor and their Application in Gas Sensing

Singh, V and Sinha, J and Nanda, A and Shivashankar, SA and Bhat, N and Avasthi, S (2021) Precursor to Gas Sensor: A Detailed Study of the Suitability of Copper Complexes as an MOCVD Precursor and their Application in Gas Sensing. In: Inorganic Chemistry .

PDF ino_che_2021.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (7MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

There are very few p-type semiconductors available compared to n-type semiconductors for positive sensing response for oxidizing gases and other important electronic applications. Cupric oxide (CuO) is one of the few oxides that show p-type conductivity, useful for sensing oxidizing gases. Many researchers obtained CuO using the chemical and solid-state routes, but uniformity and large-area deposition have been the main issues. Chemical vapor deposition is one such technique that provides control on several deposition parameters, which allow obtaining thin films having crystallinity and uniformity over a large area for the desired application. However, CuO-chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is still unfathomed due to the lack of suitability of copper precursors based on vapor pressure, contamination, and toxicity. Here, to address these issues, we have taken four Cu complexes (copper(II) acetylacetonate, copper(II) bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato), copper(II) ethylacetoacetate, and copper(II) tert-butylacetoacetate), which are evaluated using thermogravimetry for suitability as a CVD precursor. The decomposition behavior of the complexes was also experimentally confirmed by depositing CuO thin films via CVD. Phase purity, decomposition, volatility, growth rate, and morphological characteristics of the films are investigated in detail. Analysis suggests that copper(II) tert-butylacetoacetate has the highest vapor pressure and growth rate at a low temperature, making it the most suitable precursor for high-throughput CVD. Further, to investigate the role of these precursors, films deposited using Cu complexes were subjected to gas sensing. The CuO gas sensor fabricated on glass shows pronounced NO2 sensing. The sensing results of CuO films have been explained from the standpoint of roughness, morphology, and unpassivated bonds present on the surface of films and vapor pressure of precursors. The higher density of surface state and the lower resistivity of the Cu(tbaoac)2 film lead to a sensor with higher responsivity and sensitivity (down to 1 ppm). These precursors can probably be utilized to improve the performance of other metal oxide gas sensors, especially Cu2O and Cu-III-O2. © 2021 American Chemical Society.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Inorganic Chemistry
Publisher:	American Chemical Society
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to American Chemical Society
Department/Centre:	Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences > Centre for Nano Science and Engineering
Date Deposited:	03 Dec 2021 08:55
Last Modified:	03 Dec 2021 08:55
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/70653

Actions (login required)

View Item