Oxygen effect on the conductivity of the CuxO/ZnO(0001) and (0001̄) systems

Thin copper oxide film formation on the polar ZnO(0001) and ZnO(0001) surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions was monitored by LEED, Auger, TCS and work-function measurements. The 2.5 nm thick discontinuous oxide films contained a mixture of CuO, Cu2O and ZnO. The effect of oxygen gas on the conductivity of the thin films has been measured, and a more pronounced increase of a relative resistance of the film is observed in the temperature range 400–500 K.