Thermoelectric properties of (ZnSe)x(CdS)1-x films deposited by thermal evaporation

Polycrystalline (ZnSe)(x)(CdS)(1-x) (0 less than or equal to x less than or equal to 1.0) films were formed on glass substrates kept at a temperature of 197 degreesC by thermal evaporation technique. The dark conductivity and thermoelectric power were measured and were used to calculate the electron density and mobility. The temperature dependences of electrical conductivity (sigma), thermoelectric power (S), electron density (n) and mobility (mu) have been studied. The mobility increases with increase of temperature, indicating the dominance of grain boundary scattering mechanism in these films. The conductivity activation energy and grain boundary potentials are also reported. The conductivity, electron density and mobility decrease with increase of composition parameter 'x'. Thermoelectric properties of ZnSe-CdS films have been reported for the first time.