CADMIUM TELLURIDE FILMS PREPARED BY PULSED ELECTRODEPOSITION

Cadmium telluride polycrystalline films were deposited on various tran sparent semiconductors on glass using periodic pulse electrolysis from an aqueous solution of Cd2+ and HTeO2+ ions. Substrates included fluo rine doped tin oxide/glass, tin oxide/indium tin oxide/glass and on th ose substrates with an electrodeposited cadmium sulphide film on the o xide. The properties of the deposited films were determined as a funct ion of variables, viz. initial cathodic voltage V1, on-time t1, second cathodic voltage V2, on-time t2, solution concentration and type of s ubstrate. Film quality was judged by adherence, continuity, optical qu ality, composition and morphology. The preferred deposition conditions (versus SCE) were V1 = -0.76 V, t1 = 1s, V2 = - 0.60 V, t2 = 0.1 s us ing a stirred 90-degrees-C solution with composition 2.5 M Cd2+, 160 p pm HTeO2+ and pH of 1.7. Films deposited under those conditions were c ubic polycrystals. X-ray diffraction spectra showed reflections from t he (111) (220) and (311) planes with the most intense being the (111) reflection. As the concentration of species in the solution decreased, the reflection intensities from the (220) and (311) planes decreased relative to the (111) reflection. After annealing under conditions to type convert the n-CdTe to p-CdTe, the crystallinity improved and if a CdS layer was present, the (220) and (311) planes were further develo ped relative to the (111) plane. Resistivity through the film was (3.0 +/- 0.8) x 10(8) OMEGA cm but reduced to (1.0 +/- 0.3) x 10(3) OMEGA cm after annealing. The band gap was 1.48 +/- 0.03 eV for both deposit ed and annealed films. There was a limited range over which the deposi tion variables could be altered. The pulse duration for the more catho dic phase needed to be longer than the less cathodic phase for adheren t films. Better adherence was achieved when pulse durations were great er than 0.1 s, especially for the more cathodic phase. The magnitude o f the pulse duration and potential in each phase of a particular cycle determined whether the deposited film was rich or deficient in cadmiu m and whether the film adhered.