  Low resistivity (~3-24 mOhm.cm) with tunable n- and p-type phase pure Cu2O
thin films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition at 25-200 0C by varying
the background oxygen partial pressure (O2pp). Capacitance data obtained by
electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to determine the conductivity
(n- or p-type), carrier density, and flat band potentials for samples grown on
indium tin oxide (ITO) at 25 0C. The Hall mobility of the n- and p-type Cu2O
was estimated to be ~ 0.85 cm2.V-1s-1 and ~ 4.78 cm2.V-1s-1 respectively for
samples grown on quartz substrate at 25 0C. An elevated substrate temperature ~
200 0C with O2pp = 2 - 3 mTorr yielded p-type Cu2O films with six orders of
magnitude higher resistivities in the range ~ 9 - 49 kOhm.cm and mobilities in
the range ~ 13.5 - 22.2 cm2.V-1s-1. UV-Vis-NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy
showed optical bandgaps of Cu2O films in the range of 1.76 to 2.15 eV depending
on O2pp. Thin films grown at oxygen-rich conditions O2pp > 7 mTorr yielded
mixed-phase copper oxide irrespective of the substrate temperatures and upon
air annealing at 550 0C for 1 hour completely converted to CuO phase with
n-type semiconducting properties (~12 Ohm.cm, ~1.50 cm2.V-1s-1). The as-grown
p- and n-type Cu2O showed rectification and a photovoltaic (PV) response in
solid junctions with n-ZnO and p-Si electrodes respectively. Our findings may
create new opportunities for devising Cu2O based junctions requiring low
process temperatures.
