The effect of substrate temperature on the structural, optical and electrical properties of vacuum deposited ZnTe thin films

The present paper reports the effect of substrate temperature on the structural, optical and electrical properties of vacuum deposited zinc telluride (ZnTe) thin films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the films, deposited on glass substrates, revealed that they have cubic structure with strong (111) texture. Room temperature deposits are tellurium rich and an increase in the substrate temperature up to 553 °K results in stoichiometric films. Electrical conductivity has been observed to increase with the increase in substrate temperature, accompanied by increase in the carrier concentration and the mobility of the carriers. The optical bandgap energy and the thermal activation energy of the films have also been evaluated.