Abstract
The CdSe, a narrow band gap semiconductor has potential use in optoelectronics and solar cell applications. The structural
parameters of a thin film semiconductor largely depend on the preparation method and conditions. Cadmium Selenide thin
films of different thickness (830Å - 3160Å) have been prepared by thermal evaporation on chemically cleaned glass
substrates at different substrate temperatures ranging from 300K to 523K. The structural properties of these films were
studied by X-ray diffraction technique and different micro structural parameters such as lattice constants, grain size, internal
strain and dislocation density etc. were determined. The XRD spectra showed that the CdSe films prepared at higher
substrate temperatures are of polycrystalline nature having hexagonal structure. The average grain size and average
internal strain of the polycrystalline CdSe films were calculated from the broadening of the XRD line spectra by plotting
Williamson and Hall plots. The average grain size are found to increase while the internal strain and dislocation density of
these films are found to decrease with increase of substrate temperature at the time of deposition and also with film
thickness. The substrate temperature about 473K has been found to be suitable for depositing good quality CdSe thin films
of thickness 2000Å and above with less number of defects and with bulk values of lattice constants.
Keywords
Polycrystalline thin film, CdSe, substrate temperature, thickness, structural parameters.
Citation
MOTHURA N. BORAH, S. CHALIHA, P. C. SARMAH, A. RAHMAN, Effect of substrate temperature on structural properties of thermally evaporated CdSe thin films of different thickness, Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials - Rapid Communications, 2, 6, June 2008, pp.342-348 (2008).
Submitted at: April 19, 2008
Accepted at: June 5, 2008