Optical and microstructural characterization of the effects of rapid thermal annealing of CdTe thin films grown on Si (100) substrates

The effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on CdTe/Si (100) heterostructures have been studied in order to improve the structural quality of CdTe epilayers. Samples of CdTe (111) polycrystalline thin films grown by vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) on Si (100) substrates have been investigated. The strained structures were rapidly thermally annealed at 400°C, 450°C, 500°C, 550°C, and 600°C for 10 sec. The microstructural properties of the CdTe films …