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Effect of evaporation rate and substrate temperature on optical, structural, and electrical properties of ZnTe:Sb films deposited by thermal evaporation of Zn, Te, and Sb sources

Akram Aqili

Akram Aqili

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The Hashemite UniversityZarqa 13133, Jordan
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Aqili, Akram
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Anas Y. Al-Reyahi

Anas Y. Al-Reyahi

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The Hashemite UniversityZarqa 13133, Jordan
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Al-Reyahi, Anas Y.
 and 
Mufeed Maghrabi

Mufeed Maghrabi

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The Hashemite UniversityZarqa 13133, Jordan
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Maghrabi, Mufeed
  
Jun 30, 2025
Effect of evaporation rate and substrate temperature on optical, structural, and electrical properties of ZnTe:Sb films deposited by thermal evaporation of Zn, Te, and Sb sources's Cover Image
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Article Category: Research Article
Published Online: Jun 30, 2025
Page range: 78 - 86
Received: May 09, 2025
Accepted: Jun 26, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/msp-2025-0020
Keywords
© 2025 Akram Aqili, published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Figure 1

XRD patterns of the prepared films.
XRD patterns of the prepared films.

Figure 2

EDX spectra of films Za1 to Za4.
EDX spectra of films Za1 to Za4.

Figure 3

SEM micrographs of films Za4 (with two resolutions), Zb1, and Zb3.
SEM micrographs of films Za4 (with two resolutions), Zb1, and Zb3.

Figure 4

A plot of ln(σ) against 1/kT along with the linear fit of the data.
A plot of ln(σ) against 1/kT along with the linear fit of the data.

Figure 5

A plot of ln(σ) against 1/kT of the films.
A plot of ln(σ) against 1/kT of the films.

Figure 6

A plot of transmittance against wavelength of all deposited films.
A plot of transmittance against wavelength of all deposited films.

Figure 7

Transmittance data along with the fitting curve of Zb4.
Transmittance data along with the fitting curve of Zb4.

Figure 8

A plot of (αhν)2 against photon energy (hν).
A plot of (αhν)2 against photon energy (hν).

EDX and conductivity results_

Film number Zn ratio element % (±2%) Te ratio element % (±2%) Sb ratio element % (±2%) Resistivity at 30°C (Ω-cm) Conductivity activation energy (eV)
Za1 50.44 49.56 — 8.93 × 106 0.68
Za2 50.33 47.27 2.44 1.62 × 102 0.21
Za3 49.54 44.28 8.18 1.34 × 101 0.09
Za4 49.28 37.76 12.96 3.30 × 10−1 0.06
Zb1 50.14 49.86 — 6.72 × 107 0.76
Zb2 50.13 49.87 — 2.71 × 103 0.27
Zb3 50.16 49.84 — 8.70 × 102 0.21
Zb4 50.10 48.49 1. 41 2.72 × 102 0.18

Results of the calculated optical parameters_

Film number Thickness (nm) Root mean square roughness (nm) n = [ 1 + ( n 0 2 − 1 ) λ 2 / ( λ 2 − λ 0 2 ) ] 1 / 2 n={{[}1+({n}_{0}^{2}-1){\lambda }^{2}/({\lambda }^{2}-{\lambda }_{0}^{2})]}^{1/2} Energy gap (eV)
n o λ o (nm)
Za1 653 ± 3 12.3 ± 0.7 2.72 ± 0.01 292.5 ± 1.1 2.25 ± 0.005
Za2 756 ± 1 09.9 ± 0.5 2.94 ± 0.01 299.7 ± 0.7 2.13 ± 0.005
Za3 876 ± 3 16.0 ± 0.7 2.97 ± 0.01 348 ± 1.5 1.95 ± 0.005
Za4 954 ± 4 18.2 ± 1.0 3.06 ± 0.02 363 ± 2.5 1.80 ± 0.005
Zb1 660 ± 3 12.6 ± 0.7 2.71 ± 0.01 294.8 ± 1.0 2.26 ± 0.005
Zb2 616 ± 2 9.7 ± 0.8 2.72 ± 0.01 298.5 ± 1.0 2.25 ± 0.005
Zb3 601 ± 2 10.3 ± 0.6 2.76 ± 0.01 295.9 ± 0.9 2.22 ± 0.005
Zb4 582 ± 1 10.4 ± 0.5 2.81 ± 0.01 286.7 ± 0.8 2.20 ± 0.005

Deposition parameters_

Film number Substrate temp. (°C) Sb source temp. (°C) Zn source temp. (°C) Te source temp. (°C) Sb evaporation rate (nm/s)
Za1 250 — 540 480 —
Za2 250 560 540 480 1.1
Za3 250 600 540 480 2.9
Za4 250 640 540 480 5.2
Zb1 350 — 540 480
Zb2 350 560 540 480 1.1
Zb3 350 600 540 480 2.9
Zb4 350 640 540 480 5.2
Language:
English
Publication timeframe:
4 times per year
Journal Subjects:
Materials Sciences, Materials Sciences, other, Nanomaterials, Functional and Smart Materials, Materials Characterization and Properties
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