MICROSTRUCTURE OPTICAL AND ELECTRICAL STUDIES OF CADMIUM SELENIDE THIN-FILMS

Nucleation and growth of cadmium selenide thin films are of considerable interest because of their direct effect on the optical and electrical properties of this material. Vacuum-deposited layers on amorphous and crystalline substrates showed a polycrystalline structure. The layers were deposited at a pressure of 10(-4) Pa, with two deposition rates of 12 nm/s and 15 nm/s. The electrical resistivity and the optical absorption were studied for a group of layers on quartz substrate. As well the morphology and the microstructure were investigated by X-ray and electron microscopy. Few activation energies were estimated from the optical absorbance and thermo-resistance.