Influence of angle deposition on the properties of ZnTe thin films prepared by thermal evaporation

Tanvir Hussain*, M. F. Al-Kuhaili, S. M.A. Durrani, H. A. Qayyum

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Thin films of ZnTe were deposited at angles of 0° 20° 40° 60° and 80° by thermal evaporation. The chemical, structural, morphological, optical, and photocurrent properties of ZnTe thin films were investigated. The elemental composition of the films was investigated by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). EDX and XPS analyses showed that at lower angles (0° and 20°), the deposited films were Te-rich, at 40° the deposited film was nearly stoichiometric; and at higher angles (60° and 80°), the deposited films were Zn-rich. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that all films were polycrystalline. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that lower-angles-deposited films had an extra peak at 2θ = 36.47° that belongs to Te element. Atomic force microscopy analysis revealed that the surface roughness of films was increased by increasing the deposition angle from 0° to 80° because shadowing effect raised due to an oblique angle. It was observed that higher-angles-deposited films (ZnTe-60° and ZnTe-80°) showed less transmittance and high reflectance compared to lower-angles-deposited films because of high metallic Zn content in these films. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements showed that nearly stoichiometric (ZnTe-40°) film showed better photocurrent response compared to non-stoichiometric films (ZnTe-0° ZnTe-20° ZnTe-60° and ZnTe-80°).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)10130-10140
Number of pages11
JournalCeramics International
Volume44
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Jun 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

Keywords

  • Angular deposition
  • Collisions
  • Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy
  • Photocurrent
  • Transmittance

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Ceramics and Composites
  • Process Chemistry and Technology
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Materials Chemistry

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