Physical characteristics of Cu₂Te are poorly investigated due to limited Te sources available and unclear atomic positions of crystal structure. Herein, hexagonal Cu₂Te microdisks are successfully prepared via chemical vapor deposition procedure using GaTe as Te source. The epitaxial growth mechanism of the Cu₂Te hexagonal structures with the orthorhombic phase is rationalized by proposed layer‐over‐layer growth model. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of Cu₂Te microdisks shows a new red emission band in addition to usual infrared light emission due to Cu deficiency. Single Cu₂Te microdisk operates as an optical microcavity supporting whispering gallery modes for red lasing around 627.5 nm. This Cu₂Te microdisk microcavity exhibits a high quality factor of 1568 and a low lasing threshold of 125 kW cm⁻² at room temperature. Meanwhile, Cu₂Te microdisks have been exhibited as an ideal platform for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) eliminating drawbacks of noble metal substrates with detection limitation to nanomolar level and an enhancement factor of ≈1.95 × 10⁵. Hexagonal Cu₂Te microdisks turn out to be an efficient microcavity for red lasing and low‐cost nonmetallic SERS substrates, opening potential applications in photonics and biological detection of aromatic molecules.

Due to the excellent lubricity of V₂O₅ and soft metals, V and Cu have been added to Mo-N based coatings to further improve the tribological properties. In this study, the Mo-V-Cu-N coatings were deposited by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS). The effects of V and Cu on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mo-N coatings were investigated. With increasing V/Cu content ratio, the deposition rate decreased from 15.4 to 6.5 nm/min, and the microstructure transformed from a featureless structure into a dense columnar structure. At low Cu contents, less than 6.5 at.%, the Mo-V-Cu-N coatings exhibited a single solid solution phase of c-Mo₂(V)N. When the Cu content reached 29.7 at.%, the Mo₄₅V₁Cu₃₀N₂₄ coating showed the lowest surface roughness of 2.0 nm, and the coating changed into a double-phase of c-Mo₂(V)N and c-Cu. The adhesion strength gradually increased from 32.2 to 87.8 N with an increasing V/Cu content ratio. Due to the microstructure densification, a maximum hardness of 27.3 GPa was achieved for the Mo₄₆V₁₅Cu₁N₃₈ coating, which was accompanied by a high compressive residual stress.

The AlTiVCuN coatings were deposited by magnetron sputtering with anode layer ion source (ALIS) assistance, and the microstructure and mechanical properties were significantly affected by the ion source power. With increasing the ion source power from 0 to 1.0 kW, the deposition rate decreased from 2.6 to 2.1 nm/min, and then gradually increased to 4.0 nm/min at 3.0 kW, and the surface roughness gradually decreased from 28.7 nm at 0 kW to 9.0 nm at 3.0 kW. Due to the enhanced ion bombardment effect, the microstructure of the coatings changed from a coarse into a dense columnar structure at 1.0 kW, and the grain size increased at higher ion source powers. All the coatings exhibited c-TiAlVN phase, and the preferred orientation changed from the (220) to the (111) plane at 3.0 kW. Due to the low Cu contents (1.0~3.1 at.%), the Cu atoms existed as an amorphous phase in the coatings. Due to the microstructure densification and high residual stress, the highest hardness of 32.4 GPa was achieved for the coating deposited at 1.0 kW.

An ultrathin Al layer was introduced into AZO/Cu/AZO films to further enhance the optoelectronic performance. The AZO/Al/Cu/AZO films were deposited on glass substrates by DC and RF magnetron sputtering; the microstructure and optoelectronic properties were analyzed by XRD, SEM, AFM, TEM, visible spectrophotometer, and Hall effect measurement system. The results indicated that the Al layer played a crucial role in modulating the crystallization behavior and optoelectronic properties of the films, exhibiting a distinct thickness-threshold effect. At an Al layer thickness of 1 nm, the film exhibited optimal optoelectronic performance, achieving a high F_OM of 0.71 Ω⁻¹, a high transmittance of 85%, and a low resistivity of 5.7 × 10⁻⁵ Ω·cm. However, when the Al layer thickness exceeded 1 nm, the crystallinity of the films deteriorated significantly, the grain boundary scattering and light absorption effect enhanced, leading to the deterioration of photoelectric properties. The introduction of the Al layer significantly improved the stability of the films, and the AZO/Al(2 nm)/Cu/AZO film exhibited the best temporal stability after being exposed to air for 20 months.