Cd-rich and Te-rich low-temperature photoluminescence in cadmium telluride

Low-temperature photoluminescence emission spectra were measured in cadmium telluride (CdTe) samples in which composition was varied to promote either Cd or Te-rich stoichiometry. The ability to monitor stoichiometry is important, since it has been shown to impact carrier recombination. Te-rich samples show transitions corresponding to acceptor-bound excitons (∼1.58 eV) and free-electron to acceptor transitions (∼1.547 eV). In addition to acceptor-bound excitons, Cd-rich samples show transitions assigned to donor-bound excitons (1.591 eV) and Te vacancies at 1.552 eV. Photoluminescence is a noninvasive way to monitor stoichiometric shifts induced by post-deposition anneals in polycrystalline CdTe thin films deposited by close-spaced sublimation.