Ellipsometric Study on Colored Electroplating of Cuprous Oxide on Ni Substrate

The colored Cu2O coating was electroplated on Ni substrate to meet the decorative requirements. Results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicate the coating consisting of Cu2O. Images of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) show that the Cu2O coating is smooth and uniform,and covers the Ni substrate wholly. Ellipsomtric measurements for Cu2O coatings with various electroplating time were carried out. Using a 4-layer model of "Air-Cu2O layer-interphase-Ni" ,the interphase was modeled with the graded effective medium approximation (EMA),the ellipsomtric data were deconvoluted and the Cu2O coatings thickness of Cu2O was obtained. Results reveal that the Cu2O coating thickness increases linearly with the electroplating time.