Physical properties of transparent conducting Cd-Te-In-O thin films.

Cd-Te-In-O thin films are grown by pulsed laser deposition using a composite target of CdTe powder embedded in an indium matrix. Oxygen pressures range from 2.00 to 6.67 Pa at a substrate temperature of 420 degrees C. The structure, optical transmission and sheet resistance of the films are measured. Substitutional compounds with In(2-2x)(Cd,Te)(2x)O(3) stoichiometry are found at high oxygen pressures. A ternary phase diagram of the CdO-In(2)O(3)-TeO(2) system shows the relationship between the structure and the stoichiometry of the films. To evaluate film performance, a figure of merit is proposed based on the relationship between the integral photonic flux and the sheet resistance. The best figure of merit values corresponds to a sample prepared at 3.8 Pa O(2) that consists of (In(2)O(3))(0.3)(CdTe(2)O(5))(0.7) and exhibits an optical band gap of 3.0 eV. This sample is a suitable substrate for electrodeposition due to its good electrochemical stability. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.