Effects of Pb Dopant on Structural and Optical Properties of CuO Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel

CuO thin films have been deposited by the sol-gel and spin coating technique. Lead at two different concentrations was introduced into 3-layered. The structural characterization by XRD reveals that the prepared films were tenorite phase and have a high level of purity and crystallinity. The crystallite size of the CuO films was affected by Pb concentration and was found to be decreased with the increase of Pb content. Raman and FTIR measurements of CuO pure and Pb: CuO films confirmed the structure of CuO. SEM studies revealed the cubic and spherical nano-textured surface as the Pb concentration changed. A clear correlation between the broadening of the optical band gap with increasing Pb doping concentration was observed.