Non-Aqueous Solution Processed CdZnTe Thin Film via Chemical Bath Deposition: Effect of Zn Doping Variation

In recent years, compounds from the chalcogenide family have gained importance in thin film technology due to their potential applications in photovoltaic cells, X-ray and gamma-ray detectors. CdZnTe is a II–VI compound semiconductor and is used in photovoltaic solar cells due to its high efficiency and tunable band gap. CdZnTe thin films have properties intermediate between those of CdTe and ZnTe. Their addition creates a common lattice in which the energy band gap is larger than that of ZnTe, making the material more attractive for electronic device fabrication. In this work, CdZnTe films (X = 0.1M, X= 0.2M, and X=0.5M) were deposited on a nickel substrate by chemical bath deposition in a non-aqueous medium. The growth parameters of the CdZnTe film can be adjusted by varying the concentration (X=0.1M, X=0.2M, and X=0.5M) of the Zn content. The varying Zn content regulates the growth rate of CdTe and is an important factor affecting the properties of the film. The chemical bath deposition method was used to vary the different Zn concentrations in the range of 0.1M, 0.2M, and 0.5M, and their effects on various properties of the CdZnTe films were investigated. The effects of Zn doping on the structural, morphological, elemental, and optical properties were studied by XRD, SEM, EDS, FTIR, UV-Visible, and PL. The X-ray diffraction study showed that all films have a cubic zinc-blende structure with a (111) plane. The crystallite size was calculated using the Scherrer formula, and it was found that the crystallite size decreases with increasing Zn content.