THE PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF COPPER-CONTAINING THIN FILMS PREPARED BY THE SOL-GEL METHOD ON VARIOUS GLASSES

Abstract

Copper-containing glasses are promising materials for photonic applications. The sol-gel method has been verified as a feasible way to prepare thin glassy films containing copper (I) for utilization in active photonic devices. The aim of this paper was to deposit copper-containing thin films on various types of silicate glasses and test them with regard to their quality, structure and the optical properties of the prepared films and the oxidation state of the embedded copper. Two types of sols consisting of CuCl, TEOS, HCl, ethanol, H₂O and the surfactants Triton X-100 or PEG-400 were used to create functional layers. Both sols were deposited on substrates by the dip-coating technique. The functional layer was covered with another sol not containing copper in order to create a protective layer above the optical one. The films were annealed at two different temperatures to change the oxidation state of the embedded copper. The coated samples were characterized by SEM, XRD and absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. We have proven that it is possible to form quality films on all types of glasses used.

Keywords

• Silicate glasses
• Copper
• Sol-gel method
• Dip-coating