Synthesis of CuO films using mass-separated, low-energy O+ ion beams

For the first time, CuO thin films have been synthesized by means of low-energy and high-density O+-ion beams, mass separated from an oxygen plasma. A 50-eV, 47-μA/cm2 O+-ion beam has successfully produced CuO at a growth rate of 0.04 Å/s by simultaneous deposition of Cu metal on MgO(100). O+ beams have greater potential for oxidation than O2 gas from the viewpoint of the flux necessary to form CuO.