# Effect of vacuum annealing on structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnTe thin films

Effect of vacuum annealing on structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnTe thin films In present study, dependence of structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline $$\hbox {Zn}_{40}\hbox {Te}_{60}$$ Zn 40 Te 60 (ZnTe) thin films on vacuum thermal annealing has been investigated. ZnTe alloy was prepared by melt quenching technique and thermally evaporated on cleansed glass substrates to deposit thin films. These films were annealed in vacuum ( $$\sim 1\times 10^{-3}$$ ∼ 1 × 10 - 3 mbar) for an hour at three different temperatures 100, 200 and 300 °C. X-ray diffraction results revealed the presence of cubic ZnTe phase in all the films along with some hexagonal Te phase. The crystallite size of ZnTe thin films improved on annealing with larger size at elevated temperatures (from 32 to 80 nm). Micro strain and dislocation density reduced owing to improvement in crystallinity after annealing. The IR transmittance increased with increase in annealing temperature. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images suggested the formation of smooth and uniform thin films with thickness of $$\sim$$ ∼ 480 nm. Optical properties revealed the decrease in transmittance and absorption edge shift due to crystallinity improvement on annealing. The optical band gap decreased from 1.37 to 0.91 eV on annealing. Experimental results show that thermal annealing has significant impact on structural and optical properties of ZnTe thin films. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics Springer Journals

# Effect of vacuum annealing on structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnTe thin films

, Volume 29 (6) – Dec 26, 2017
7 pages

/lp/springer_journal/effect-of-vacuum-annealing-on-structural-and-optical-properties-of-00UTxwIYNC
Publisher
Springer US
Copyright © 2017 by Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
Subject
Materials Science; Optical and Electronic Materials; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
ISSN
0957-4522
eISSN
1573-482X
D.O.I.
10.1007/s10854-017-8460-7
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

### Abstract

In present study, dependence of structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline $$\hbox {Zn}_{40}\hbox {Te}_{60}$$ Zn 40 Te 60 (ZnTe) thin films on vacuum thermal annealing has been investigated. ZnTe alloy was prepared by melt quenching technique and thermally evaporated on cleansed glass substrates to deposit thin films. These films were annealed in vacuum ( $$\sim 1\times 10^{-3}$$ ∼ 1 × 10 - 3 mbar) for an hour at three different temperatures 100, 200 and 300 °C. X-ray diffraction results revealed the presence of cubic ZnTe phase in all the films along with some hexagonal Te phase. The crystallite size of ZnTe thin films improved on annealing with larger size at elevated temperatures (from 32 to 80 nm). Micro strain and dislocation density reduced owing to improvement in crystallinity after annealing. The IR transmittance increased with increase in annealing temperature. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images suggested the formation of smooth and uniform thin films with thickness of $$\sim$$ ∼ 480 nm. Optical properties revealed the decrease in transmittance and absorption edge shift due to crystallinity improvement on annealing. The optical band gap decreased from 1.37 to 0.91 eV on annealing. Experimental results show that thermal annealing has significant impact on structural and optical properties of ZnTe thin films.

### Journal

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in ElectronicsSpringer Journals

Published: Dec 26, 2017

## You’re reading a free preview. Subscribe to read the entire article.

### DeepDyve is your personal research library

It’s your single place to instantly
discover and read the research
that matters to you.

over 12 million articles from more than
10,000 peer-reviewed journals.

All for just $49/month ### Explore the DeepDyve Library ### Unlimited reading Read as many articles as you need. Full articles with original layout, charts and figures. Read online, from anywhere. ### Stay up to date Keep up with your field with Personalized Recommendations and Follow Journals to get automatic updates. ### Organize your research It’s easy to organize your research with our built-in tools. ### Your journals are on DeepDyve Read from thousands of the leading scholarly journals from SpringerNature, Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford University Press and more. All the latest content is available, no embargo periods. ### Monthly Plan • Read unlimited articles • Personalized recommendations • No expiration • Print 20 pages per month • 20% off on PDF purchases • Organize your research • Get updates on your journals and topic searches$49/month

14-day Free Trial

Best Deal — 39% off

### Annual Plan

• All the features of the Professional Plan, but for 39% off!
• Billed annually
• No expiration
• For the normal price of 10 articles elsewhere, you get one full year of unlimited access to articles.

$588$360/year

billed annually

14-day Free Trial