Chemical Diffusion in Cadmium Telluride

The chemical diffusion coefficients of single crystals of cadmium telluride DCdTe were determined as a function of temperature and composition using high-temperature electrical conductivity measurements. In the temperature range 550° to 800°C, DCdTe can be approximated by 4 exp[− (1.15±0.1) eV/kT] and is nearly independent of cadmium partial pressure pCd, for pCd extending over two decades from the cadmium-rich liquidus. The measured and calculated values of DCdTe are in good agreement, and the results favor an interstitial mechanism for cadmium self-diffusion.