Thin Solid Films 401 (2001) 35–38

Cadmium telluride thin films: growth from solution and characteristics

V.B. Patil*, D.S. Sutrave, G.S. Shahane, L.P. Deshmukh

Thin Film and Solar Studies Research Laboratory, Department of Physics (Applied Electronics), Shivaji University Centre for P.G. Studies,
Solapur 413003, M.S., India

Received 1 March 2000; received in revised form 13 December 2000; accepted 25 July 2001

Abstract

An extremely simple and cheap method for the deposition of cadmium telluride thin films is presented. Good quality deposits
were obtained on ground glass at 758C, pH 10"0.3 with a deposition time of 90 min. Light grey-coloured and uniform CdTe
layers, approximately 0.3 mm thick, were obtained with this process under the above deposition conditions. Compositional analysis
showed CdTe films to be Cd-rich. The as-deposited layers are crystalline with a mixture of hexagonal and cubic phase structures.
Microscopic observations showed some overgrowth on the spherical-type crystallites grown. Baking increases the coarseness of
the material compared to the as-deposited film. Optical studies revealed a high absorption coefficient (104 cmy1 ) with a direct
type of transition. The bandgap is estimated as 1.45 eV. The films show n-type conduction. 䊚 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All
rights reserved.

Keywords: Cadmium telluride; Chemical growth process; n-type conduction; Hexagonal and Cubic phase structures

1. Introduction its worth for deposition of thin semiconducting films of

Cadmium telluride with a band gap of 1.45 eV is a
technically important class of material in view of its
band-to-band type of transition and high optical absorb-
ance without any phonon-assisted mechanism, which
makes it very useful in several electro-optic and opto-
electric device applications w1–5x. For CdTe, deviation
from stoichiometry is best controlled by any of the
sophisticated techniques involving single or polycrystal-
line growth with Cd or Te in excess, which in turn is
responsible for its n- or p-type conductivity, respectively.
The purpose of our studies is to grow n-type CdTe films
suitable for electrochemical photovoltaic application
without the use of complicated instrumentation and with
a nominal process cost. We have developed a very
simple and extremely convenient solution-growth proc-
ess set-up, with only a glass beaker and a constant-
speed ACyDC gear motor. The method has also proved
* Corresponding author. Tel.: q91-217-328012; fax: q91-217-
328011.
E-mail address: vpsupgc@yahoo.com (V.B. Patil).
binary andyor ternary mixedyalloyed-type materials,
and is therefore best suited for the production of homo-
geneous layers of controlled composition. Additionally,
the usefulness of the technique lies in its low-energy
intensiveness and large-area coverage, with the capabil-
ity of large-scale production. Cadmium telluride films
were deposited using sodium tellurosulfate as the pre-
cipitant and some of their basic characteristics are
reported.
2. Experimental details
Cadmium telluride thin films were deposited onto
glass substrates, which were chemomechanically and
ultrasonically cleaned. The procedure, in brief, is as
follows. A 10-ml aliquot of 1 M cadmium sulfate
solution was complexed with a 5-ml each of triethano-
lamine, 14 N ammonia and 1 M sodium hydroxide
solutions in a 250-ml beaker. The substrates were assem-
bled on a specially designed substrate holder and
immersed vertically in the reaction mixture. These were
rotated at a speed of 72"2 rev.ymin. The Te source

0040-6090/01/$ - see front matter 䊚 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 0 4 0 - 6 0 9 0 Ž 0 1 . 0 1 4 8 0 - 8
36 V.B. Patil et al. / Thin Solid Films 401 (2001) 35–38
Fig. 1. X-Ray diffractogram of a typical CdTe thin film: (a) as-deposited; and (b) baked at 1008C.
was obtained by reflux action of 4 g of metallic tellurium
powder and anhydrous sodium sulfate (90 g) in distilled
water at 1008C for 24 h. The resulting concentration of
tellurium was 0.33 M w6x. The deposition temperature
and time were selected as 75"28C and 95 min, respec-
tively. A good-quality sample was analysed for its
chemical constituents using the analytical spectropho-
tometry and atomic absorption spectrometry. The crystal
structure was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis
within a 2u range from 10 to 808. The surface mor-
phology was examined with a Leica Cambridge scanning
electron microscope. The films were also scanned for
optical absorption measurements in the 500–950-nm
wavelength range. The DC electrical conductivity was
measured in the 300–500-K temperature range.
3. Results and discussion
Cadmium telluride thin films were grown under opti-
mum conditions in an alkaline medium consisting of
Cd2q and Na-tellurosulfate as basic source materials.
The as-prepared CdTe films were smooth, adhered tight-
ly to the substrates, and were non-reflecting and light
grey in colour. Compositional analysis of a good-quality
CdTe sample baked at 1008C was carried out by both
chemical analysis (spectrophotometry) and atomic
absorption spectroscopy. Both analyses showed the CdTe
samples to be rich in Cd. Typically, the Cd and Te
content in CdTe was 46.05 and 44.2%, respectively. The
crystal structure of the same sample was revealed by X-
ray diffraction with CuKa radiation (1.5406 A). ˚ The
range of 2u angles was from 10 to 808. Fig. 1 is a
typical X-ray diffractogram of such a sample. The
analysis showed that CdTe is a mixture of hexagonal-
(dominant) and cubic-phase structures. Additionally,
peaks corresponding to elemental Te were also detected
for a non-baked sample, whereas a signal corresponding
to TeO2 was also observed for a baked sample. The
presence of TeO2 can be ascribed to the oxidation of
elemental Te during baking w6,7x. The lattice parameters
 V.B. Patil et al. / Thin Solid Films 401 (2001) 35–38 37

Table 1
XRD data for a CdTe film

Peak ˚
d (A) Planes IyImax
number
Observed ASTM CdTe TeO2 Observed ASTM

Hexagonal Cubic Tetragonal

1 3.996 3.980 100 – – 21.5 90
2 3.720 3.740 002 111 – 19.6 100
3 3.310 3.320 101 – – 42 80
4 3.125 3.107 – – 111 50.6 14
5 2.972 2.988 – – 102 100 100
6 2.724 2.735 102 – – 44.9 30
7 2.046 1.995 112 – – 9.5 75
8 1.775 1.755 202 – – 17 16
9 1.673 1.619 – 400 – 6.6 6
10 1.477 1.488 – 331 – 8.3 10

calculated match well with the JCPD values (Table 1).
The surface morphology (Fig. 2) showed the presence
of spherical and well-connected grains with a large
intergranular space. Some sort of overgrowth is also
observed for as-deposited films. For a baked thin film,
this picture is clearer; however, some cracks seem to
have developed, with a reduced intergranular spacing
after baking w6x. In order to check the suitability of the
CdTe material for solar cell applications, the optical
constants, namely the absorption coefficient (a), energy
gap (Eg) and the type of optical transitions, were
determined by examining the optical absorption spec-
trum in the range from 500 to 950 nm at room
temperature. Fig. 3 shows the determination of the
optical gap from the (ahn)2 vs. (hn) variation. A
bandgap of 1.45 eV has been estimated from these
measurements for the as-deposited CdTe sample. These
results are in good agreement with those already reported
w8,9x.
The electrical conductivity of an as-deposited CdTe
film was measured in the 300–500-K temperature range.
The room-temperature electrical resistivity of this sam-
ple is of the order of 106 V cm. Thermopower meas-
urements showed n-type conduction for CdTe.
We conclude that n-CdTe films, reproducible both in
electrical and optical properties, can easily be grown
with almost negligible consumption of electrical energy
and with basic starting materials. The novelty of this
process is the avoidance of clumsy, tedious and time-
consuming processes. The deposition temperature, time
and speed of substrate rotation play a vital role in
determining the quality of the samples. The deposits are
light grey in colour with a room-temperature electrical
resistivity of 106 V cm. X-Ray diffractogram studies
showed that both hexagonal- and cubic-phase structures
of CdTe were present, whereas chemical analyses dem-
onstrated CdTe rich in Cd. Scanning electron microscopy
observations revealed the crystalline nature of the mate-
rial. The material exhibits a high optical absorption with
a band-to-band type of transition. The estimated energy
gap is 1.45 eV.

Fig. 2. SEM micrographs of a typical CdTe thin film: (a) as-deposited;

and (b) baked at 1008C. Fig. 3. Plot of (ahn)2 vs. (hn) to determine the optical gap.
38 V.B. Patil et al. / Thin Solid Films 401 (2001) 35–38

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