Growth and characterization of zinc telluride thin films for photovoltaic applications

Zinc telluride (ZnTe) polycrystalline films were prepared on ultra-clean glass substrates using a screen-printing technique and then sintered in a nitrogen atmosphere. The conditions for preparing good quality screen-printed films were subsequently discovered. The optical band gaps E-g of the films were determined by UV reflection spectroscopy. The hexagonal (wurtzite) structure of the films was confirmed by x-ray diffraction analysis. The surface morphology of films was studied using the scanning electron microscopy technique. The DC conductivity of the films was measured in vacuum using a two-probe technique. The results from this investigation will be useful in characterizing ZnTe for its applications in photovoltaics.