Influence of deposition conditions on the structural characteristics of sublimated CdTe thin films

In this paper the results obtained by X-ray diffraction studies on the structural characteristics of CdTe thin films deposited onto glass substrates by close-spaced sublimation technique are presented. Using different experimental arrangements and appropriate settings for growth parameters, the films with different polycrystalline structures were prepared. The geometry and the volume of the deposition chamber influence the size of film crystallites and also their preferential orientation. The role of deposition parameters such as the substrate temperature, the incidence angle, the film thickness, and the heat treatment in determination of the structural properties of the films are also investigated. Received: 26 November 1999 / Accepted: 7 January 2000 / Published online: 5 April 2000