Characterization of electroplated ZnTe coatings

Zinc telluride (ZnTe) layers have been grown on conducting glass substrates using an electrochemical technique and characterized using cyclic voltammetry, X-ray diffractions, UV–vis-near infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The reaction kinetics of binary film formation is also discussed. Cyclic voltammetry experiments were performed to elucidate the electrodic processes that occurred when potentials were applied and the optimum potential for electrodeposition were determined. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the deposited films were polycrystalline in nature with zinc blende cubic structure. The various microstructural parameters were calculated using structural studies. The optical transmission and reflection spectrum were recorded and direct transition band gap energy is estimated about 2.26 eV by Tauc’s plot. The SEM pictures revealed that the nanoneedles protruding from nanorods with bunches of atoms agglomerate each other. The energy dispersive analysis by X-rays spectrum revealed the stoichiometry composition of ZnTe thin film at optimized preparative parameters.     

Effects of metal doping on the physical properties of ZnTe thin films

Zinc telluride (ZnTe) thin films were sublimated on a glass substrate using closed space sublimation (CSS) technique. ZnTe thin films of same thickness were tailored with copper (Cu) & silver (Ag) doping, considered for comparative study. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of as-deposited ZnTe thin film and doped ZnTe samples exhibited polycrystalline behavior. The preferred orientation of (111) having cubic phase was observed. XRD patterns indicated that the crystallite size had increased after silver and copper immersion in as-deposited ZnTe thin films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the change of as-deposited and doped sample's grains sizes. EDX confirmed the presence of Cu and Ag in the ZnTe thin films after doping respectively. The optical studies showed the decreasing trend in energy band gap after Cu and Ag-doping. Transmission also decreased after doping. Resistivity of as-deposited ZnTe thin film was about 10⁶ Ω cm. The resistivity was reduced to 68.97 Ω cm after Cu immersion, and 10⁴ Ω cm after Ag immersion. Raman spectra were used to check the crystallinity of as-deposited, Cu and Ag-doped ZnTe thin film samples.     

Photoinduced darkening, crystallization and reversible emission in ZnTe thin films

Laser-induced darkening and crystallization of ZnTe-based thin films is reported. ZnTe thin films of 1500-nm thickness were deposited on bare and Zn buffer layered borosilicate glass substrates. The as-deposited films were subjected to laser irradiation at 532 nm. The as-deposited films were amorphous but transformed to the crystalline state under influence of the laser treatment. The X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the ZnTe crystallized in the zinc blende structure. In addition, presence of peaks from Te was observed, signifying the dissociation of ZnTe. The spectral transmission of the films decreased by more than 15 % under the influence of the laser irradiation and this was accompanied by a red shift in the band gap. These results clearly point to the occurrence of laser-induced darkening and crystallization of the films. To understand the mechanisms of darkening and crystallization, all the films were annealed at 500 °C for 60 min. Similar to the laser-irradiated samples, the thermally annealed films showed an amorphous–crystalline transition, presence of Te in the X-ray diffraction patterns as well as a large decrease in spectral transmission (>70 %). Photoinduced emission analysis carried out as a function of laser intensities indicated a strong red shift of about 51 meV in emission energy with increase in laser intensity due to the photodarkening. The peak position of the emission spectrum can be tuned by increasing the laser intensity and is completely reversible with decrease in laser intensity. It is proposed that laser-induced darkening occurs due to the dissociation of ZnTe into ZnTe and Te and that crystallization is a consequence of laser annealing.     

Structural and surface analysis of thin-film ZnTe formed with pulsed-laser deposition

Nanosecond pulses of a Nd:YAG laser have been employed to deposit thin-film zinc telluride (ZnTe) on silicon (Si) and glass without heating these substrates. We present and discuss the structural and surface properties of films deposited at 1064 nm and 532 nm. X-ray diffraction and analysis of the surface roughness with atomic force microscopy reveal that the material texture and surface morphology depend on the ablation laser line used rather than on the substrate. The observations contribute to improved understanding of pulsed-laser deposition and provide tools to optimize the optoelectronic and photonic properties of ZnTe thin-films as well as their incorporation into Si-based technologies in order to fabricate cost-effective and functional optoelectronic devices and all-optical laser digitizer.     

The effect of a surface layer on determination of the dielectric functions of ZnTe films by the ellipsometric technique

By means of spectroellipsometric technique, the dielectric functions of zinc telluride films, 0.1–1.7 μm thick, grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are studied. The presence of a thin layer on the surface of the films, noticeably affecting the results of measurements, is established. The analysis of spectra of the ZnTe dielectric functions available in the literature shows that the surface layer was present in all samples studied, regardless of the method of preparation. It is shown that studying the interference oscillations of the pseudodielectric function makes it possible to detect this layer and to correct properly the measured spectra of the dielectric functions. __________ Translated from Optika i Spektroskopiya, Vol. 92, No. 5, 2002, pp. 847–850. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2002 by Shvets, Yakushev.     

Improved diode properties in zinc telluride thin film-silicon nanowire heterojunctions

In this study, structural and optoelectronic properties and photodedection characteristics of diodes constructed from p-zinc telluride (ZnTe) thin film/n-silicon (Si) nanowire heterojunctions are reported. Dense arrays of vertically aligned Si nanowires were successfully synthesized on (1 1 0)-oriented n-type single crystalline Si wafer using simple and inexpensive metal-assisted etching (MAE) process. Following the nanowire synthesis, p-type ZnTe thin films were deposited onto vertically oriented Si nanowires via radio frequency magnetron sputtering to form three-dimensional heterojunctions. A comparative study of the structural results obtained from X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements showed the improved crystallinity of the ZnTe thin films deposited onto the Si nanowire arrays. The fabricated nanowire-based heterojunction devices exhibited remarkable diode characteristics and enhanced optoelectronic properties and photosensitivity in comparison to the planar reference. The electrical measurements revealed that the diodes with nanowires had a well-defined rectifying behaviour with a rectification ratio of 10⁴ at ±2 V and a relatively small ideality factor of n = 1.8 with lower reverse leakage current and series resistance at room temperature in dark condition. Moreover, an open-circuit voltage of 100 mV was also observed under illumination. Based on spectral photoresponsivity measurements, the nanowire-based device exhibited a distinct responsivity and high detectivity in visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelength regions. The device characteristics observed here offer that the fabricated ZnTe thin film/Si nanowire-based p–n heterojunction structures will find important applications in future and will be a promising candidate for high-performance and low-cost optoelectronic device applications, NIR photodedectors in particular.     

Argon ion-dissipated energy on atomic driving in zinc-VIA films growth

Under an assumption of rectilinear trajectories for the projectile into a solid surface, a distinct expression for the ‘energy window’ of the driving atoms in a monolayer has been drawn for different ion-target systems, in which the atomic displacements take place primarily in the surface layer, while the subsurface layer is kept undamaged. This approach of determining the appropriate energy interval to enhance the mobility of adatom is applied to ion-assisted growth of zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc selenide (ZnSe), and zinc telluride (ZnTe) epitaxial layers, respectively. The calculating results are in good agreement with the experimental observation of ZnTe semiconductor materials in the energetic cluster beam.     

Quantitative analysis of amorphous indium zinc oxide thin films synthesized by Combinatorial Pulsed Laser Deposition

The use of amorphous and transparent oxides is a key for the development of new thin film transistors and displays. Recently, indium zinc oxide (IZO) was shown to exhibit high transparency in the visible range, low resistivity, and high mobility. Since the properties and the cost of these films depend on the In/(In + Zn) values, the measurement of this ratio is paramount for future developments and applications. We report on accurate analysis of the elemental composition of IZO thin films synthesized using a Combinatorial Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. The monitoring of the thin films elemental composition by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy was chosen in view of further in situ and real-time technological developments and process control during IZO fabrication. Our analytical approach is based on plasma modeling, the recorded spectra being then compared to the spectral radiance computed for plasmas in local thermal equilibrium. The cation fractions measured were compared to values obtained by complementary measurements using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. Spectroscopic ellipsometry assisted the scientific discussion. A good agreement between methods was found, independently of the relative fraction of indium and zinc that varied from about 65 to 90 and 35 to 10 at%, respectively, and the measurement uncertainties associated to each analytical method.     

Raman scattering and photoluminescence of zinc telluride nanopowders at room temperature

Zinc telluride (ZnTe) powders were synthesized in sodium hydroxide solution by the hydrothermal method under different conditions, in which zinc and tellurium powders were used as precursors. Their structures were characterized by X-ray diffractometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and micro-Raman spectrometer. The results indicate that the powders are composed of ZnTe nanocrystals with zincblende structure and contain some impurities, and the average sizes of ZnTe nanocrystals are about 67, 92, and 112 nm when they were grown at 120 °C for 1, 2, and 6 h, respectively. The Raman spectra show three peaks centered at about 205, 410, and 616 cm⁻¹, which are attributed to the longitudinal optical phonon vibration modes of ZnTe. The photoluminescence (PL) of ZnTe nanopowders were also investigated at room temperature and the PL spectra show three emission peaks at about 555, 578, and 701 nm, which are related to the complex defects and isolelectronic oxygen trap.     

Molecular beam epitaxy of GaSb on ZnTe/GaAs: Influence of the chemical composition of ZnTe surface

We have studied the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) of GaSb films on GaAs (0 0 1) substrates by using ZnTe as a new buffer layer. GaSb films were grown on two distinct ZnTe surfaces and the influence of surface chemical composition of ZnTe on the morphological and structural properties of GaSb films has been investigated. Initial 2-dimensional (2D) growth of GaSb films is obtained on Zn-terminated surface consequently smooth morphology and high crystal quality GaSb films are achieved. The thin GaSb film (0.4 μm) grown on Zn-terminated ZnTe surface reveals considerably narrow X-ray diffraction linewidth (113 arcsec) along with small residual strain, which strongly supports the availability of ZnTe buffer for the growth of high-quality GaSb film.     

Microstructural parameters and optical constants of ZnTe thin films with various thicknesses

Different thickness of polycrystalline ZnTe films have been deposited onto glass substrates at room temperature by vacuum evaporation technique. The structural characteristics studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the films are polycrystalline and have a zinc blende (cubic) structure. The calculated microstructure parameters revealed that the crystallite size increases and microstrain decreases with increasing film thickness. The transmittance and reflectance have been measured at normal and near normal incidence, respectively, in the spectral range 400-2500 nm. For ZnTe films of different thicknesses, the dependence of absorption coefficient, α on the photon energy showed the occurrence of a direct transition with band gap energy (For ZnTe films of different thicknesses) confirming the independency of deduced energy gap on film thickness. The refractive indices have been evaluated in terms of envelope method, which has been suggested by Swanepoul in the transparent region. The refractive index could be extrapolated by Cauchy dispersion relationship over the whole spectra range, which extended from 400 to 2500 nm. It was observed that the refractive index, n increased upon increasing the film thickness up to 508 nm, lying within the experimental error for further increases in film thickness.     

CdTe薄膜太阳电池背接触的研究

用近空间升华法制备了CdTe多晶薄膜，用硝酸-磷酸(NP)混合液对薄膜表面进行了腐蚀.经SEM观测，腐蚀后的CdTe薄膜晶界变宽，XRD测试发现，经NP腐蚀后，在CdTe薄膜表面生成了一层高电导的富Te层.在腐蚀后的CdTe薄膜上分别制备了Cu，Cu/ZnTe：Cu，ZnTe：Cu，ZnTe/ZnTe：Cu四种背接触层，比较了它们对太阳电池性能的影响.结果表明，用ZnTe/ZnTe：Cu复合层作为背接触层的效果较好，获得了面积为0.5cm²，转换效率为13.38%的CdTe多晶薄膜太 关键词： 硝磷酸腐蚀 背接触层 CdTe太阳电池     

水热合成ZnTe纳米粉的发光性能

利用Zn粉和Te粉为原材料,通过水热法在160℃下合成了ZnTe纳米粉,并用X射线衍射仪、x射线能谱仪、透射电子显微镜和显微Raman光谱对其进行了表征.X射线衍射谱表明合成的ZnTe具有闪锌矿结构.X射线能谱给出的结果表明合成的ZnTe中主要元素是Zn和Te,并含有杂质O.透射电子显微镜照片显示出合成的ZnTe纳米粉...     

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of ZnTe nanostructures and their structural,electrochemical and photoelectrical properties

Colloidal zinc telluride (ZnTe) nanostructures were successfully processed through a simple and facile ultrasonic (sonochemical) treatment for photoelectronic applications. The particle-like morphological features, phase and nature of valence state of various metal ions existing in ZnTe were examined using electron and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic tools. Raman spectroscopic measurements revealed the dominance of exciton-phonon coupling and occurrence of TeO₂ traces in ZnTe through the corresponding vibrations. Optical bandgap of the ZnTe suspension was estimated to be around 2.15 eV, authenticating the direct allowed transitions. The p-type electrical conductivity and charge carrier density of ZnTe were additionally estimated from the Bode, Nyquist and Mott-Schottky type impedance plots. The photoelectrical properties of ZnTe were investigated by fabricating p-ZnTe/n-Si heterostructures and studying their corresponding current-voltage characteristics under dark and white light illumination. The diodes revealed excellent rectifying behaviour with significant increase in reverse current under illumination. The stability of the devices were also affirmed through the time-dependent photoresponse characteristics, which actually suggested the improved and effective separation of photo generated electron hole pairs across the integrated heterojunctions. The obtained results also augment the potential of sonochemically processed ZnTe for application in photo detection and sensor related functions.     

Effect of preparation conditions on the microstructural characteristics and optical properties of oxidized zinc films

Thin films of zinc (Zn) were deposited onto glass substrates (maintained at room temperature) by thermal evaporation under vacuum. The metallic zinc films were submitted to thermal oxidation in air at 670 K and 770 K, respectively, for 5–90 min, in order to obtain zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the ZnO thin films were polycrystalline and had a wurtzite (hexagonal) structure. The morphology of the prepared ZnO thin films was investigated using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Transmission spectra were recorded in the spectral domain from 300 nm to 1400 nm. The optical energy bandgap calculated from the absorption spectra (supposing allowed direct transitions) was in the range 3.05–3.30 eV.     

Thin films of ZnTe electrodeposited on stainless steel

The electrodeposition of zinc telluride (ZnTe) thin films on stainless steel foil substrates from an aqueous solution containing ZnSO₄ (150 mM) and TeO₂ (0.5 mM) is performed. For the deposition of stoichiometric films at a bath temperature 80 °C and pH=3.5, the suitable deposition potential is found to be in the range -740 mV to -800 mV against a Ag/AgCl reference electrode. The films structure, surface morphology, chemical composition, optical absorption coefficient, bandgap energy and electrical resistivity are measured and the results are discussed. Films are composed of small crystallites, and their surface texture, which depends on the film stoichiometry, varies with the deposition potential. Films have a resistivity greater than 10⁹ cm and a bandgap energy that is measured in the range 2.1 to 2.3 eV. Films annealed in nitrogen for 15 min and at 350 °C show p-type conductivity. PACS 81.15.Pq; 78.66.Hf; 68.55.Jk; 73.61.Ga     

Nanostructure and optical properties of M doped ZnO (M=Ni, Mn) thin films prepared by sol-gel process

The transparent thin films of undoped, Mn-doped, and Ni-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) have been deposited on glass substrates via sol-gel technique using zinc acetate dehydrate, nickel chloride, and manganese chloride as precursors. The structural properties and morphologies of the deposited undoped and doped ZnO thin films have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to examine the morphology and microstructure of the thin films. Optical properties of the thin films were determined by photoluminescence (PL) and UV/vis spectroscopy. The analyzed results indicate that the obtained films are of good crystal quality and have smooth surfaces, which have a pure hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure without any Mn or Ni related phases. The band gap energy was estimated by Tauc's method and found to be 3.28, 3.26, and 3.34 eV for ZnO, Ni-doped ZnO, and Mn-doped ZnO thin films at room temperature, respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence is observed for the ZnO, Ni-doped ZnO, and Mn-doped ZnO thin films.     

Bound-to-bound and bound-to-free yellow emission of ion-implanted zinc telluride

Broad structureless emission bands centred near 580 nm have been observed in the low temperature cathodoluminescence emission spectra of zinc telluride single crystals implanted with zinc, argon or aluminum ions. Time-resolved spectroscopy measurements and measurements of the emission intensities as a function of sample temperature and of temperature of post-implantation isochronal annealing show that one yellow band occurs in both ZnTe : Zn and ZnTe : Ar and results from bound-to-free recombination involving an intrinsic donor level, probably due to a V_Te defect. In addition, there is a second yellow band present in ZnTe : A1 which is due to donor-acceptor pair recombination with the donors and acceptors identified with Al_Zn and V_ZnAl_Zn respectively.     

Pulsed laser deposition of semiconducting crystalline double-doped barium titanate thin films on nickel substrates

We synthesized by pulsed laser deposition (Ba,Sr,Y)TiO₃ and (Ba,Pb,Y)TiO₃ thin films on mechanically polished nickel substrates.The synthesized thin films were analyzed for: crystalline structure by X-ray diffractometry, morphology and surface topography by atomic force microscopy, optical and scanning electron microscopy, and elemental composition by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electrical properties by electrical measurements.We have shown that film properties were determined by the dopants, target composition, and deposition parameters (oxygen pressure, substrate temperature and incident laser fluence). All films exhibited a semiconducting behavior, as proved by the decrease of electrical resistance with heating temperature.     

Influence of 120 MeV Si9+ ion irradiation on ZnTe semiconductor thin films

ABSTRACT

ZnTe (Zinc Telluride) is a potential semiconducting material for many optoelectronic devices like solar cells and back contact material for CdTe-based solar cells. In the present study, ZnTe thin films were prepared by thermal evaporation technique and then irradiated with 120?MeV Si⁹⁺ ions at different fluences. These films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–Visible spectroscopy techniques. XRD study confirms increased crystallinity and grain growth for post-irradiated ZnTe thin films for fluences, up to 1?×?10¹¹ ions cm^?2. However, the grain size and crystallinity decreased for higher fluence-exposed samples. SEM images confirm the observed structural properties. Modification of the surface morphology of the film due to the ion irradiation with different fluences is studied. Optical band gap of film is decreased from 2.31?eV (pristine) to 2.17?eV after irradiation of Si⁹⁺ ions.