The formation of Cd1-xZnxTe ternary compounds as a result of Zn diffusion into CdTe thin films, the structural and optical properties of CdZnTe compounds and the current–voltage characteristics of CdZnTe/CdTe heterojunctions were presented. An X-ray diffraction study of Zn/CdTe structures which had been exposed to thermal annealing revealed the formation of CdZnTe compounds. Analysis of the absorption spectra of Zn/CdTe structures, annealed at 500C, and CdTe thin films showed that the energy band-gap of the former (1.65eV) was larger than that of the latter (1.50eV). Such an increase in the band-gap of annealed two-layer Zn/CdTe was attributed to the reactive diffusion of Zn into CdTe films, accompanied by the formation of Cd1-xZnxTe compounds with an average x-value of 0.22. The temperature dependence of the effective diffusion coefficient of Zn in CdTe at 430 to 520C was described by:

D (cm2/s) = 2.5 x 10-3 exp[-1.30(eV)/kT]

Modification of CdTe Thin Films by Zn Reactive Diffusion. T.D.Dzhafarov, F.Ongul: Journal of Physics D, 2005, 38[20], 3764-7