Crystallization from amorphous structure to hexagonal quantum dots induced by an electron beam on CdTe thin films

Amorphous cadmium–telluride films were prepared by rf sputtering on Corning 7059 glass substrates at room temperature. The deposition time was 10 and 12 h with a thickness of 400 and 480 (±40 nm), respectively. As-prepared films were amorphous according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, but a win-fit-software analysis of the main XRD broad band suggests a wurtzite structure at short range. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at 200 keV produces crystallization of the amorphous CdTe. The TEM-electron beam induces the formation of CdTe quantum dots with the wurtzite hexagonal structure (the metastable structure of CdTe) and with ∼6 nm of average grain size. As effect of a probable distortion of the CdTe crystalline lattice, the unit cell volume (UCV) shrinks to about 30% with respect to the bulk-UCV of CdTe. Besides, the energy band gap increases as expected, according to literature data on quantum confinement.