Characterization of Point Effects in Heavily Doped Zn Te:Cu Thin Films Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering

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ZnTe is an important material for applications in the field of opto-electronic devices, particularly LED’S and solar cells. Despite the large amount of work already published on ZnTe thin films, relatively little is known about the opto-electronic properties of films by RF sputtering and even less is known about the effect of Cu doping. In a previous report, we have studied the effect of preparation parameters on some of the physics properties of highly doped RF sputtered ZnTe:Cu thin films. In the present project, we propose a detailed study of the electrical and luminescence properties of this type of films besides studying their structural, morphological and chemical properties. The characterization tools used in this proposal will be Hall effect, conductivity, optical transmission luminescence, DLTS, AFM, FESEM, XRD and XPS measurements. The aim of the project is to provide a closer view of the physical properties of RF sputtered ZnTe: Cu films and to identify the electrical and luminescence “signatures” of the point defects that control the performance of ZnTe:Cu-based opto-electronic devices.