"

Cookies ussage consent

Our site saves small pieces of text information (cookies) on your device in order to deliver better content and for statistical purposes. You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. By browsing our site without changing the browser settings you grant us permission to store that information on your device.

I agree, do not show this message again.

Structural and optical studies of laser ablated nanostructured CdTe thin films

M. NASIR KHAN1,* , NASIR MAHMOOD2, A. A. KHURRAM3

Affiliation

  1. Physics Division, PINSTECH, P.O. Nilore, Islamabad - Pakistan
  2. Optics Laboratory, P.O. Nilore, Islamabad – Pakistan
  3. Experimental Physics Labs National Centre for Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

Abstract

Nanometer thin CdTe films were deposited on BK7 glass substrates using pulsed laser deposition technique in vacuum of 4.0 x 10-6 mbar. The as grown films were then annealed in air at different temperatures. These films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical and atomic force microscopy techniques for phase identification, structure and morphology. The optical properties of the films were measured using transmission and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. The chemical composition, thickness and interface of the substrate and films were studied by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. CdTe thin films prepared by this process are found to have single phase with cubic zinc blende structure. The growth occurred in the (111) preferential direction of the cubic structure. The optimized growth for crystalline and stoichiometric films possessing good structural and optical properties were achieved after annealing in air at 300oC. In the present study efforts have been made to correlate the optical properties of the CdTe thin films with the corresponding microstructural features associated with these films..

Keywords

Photovoltaic, X-ray diffraction, CdTe thin films, Ellipsometry, RBS.

Submitted at: Aug. 10, 2012
Accepted at: March 13, 2014

Citation

M. NASIR KHAN, NASIR MAHMOOD, A. A. KHURRAM, Structural and optical studies of laser ablated nanostructured CdTe thin films, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 16, Iss. 3-4, pp. 351-359 (2014)