Crystalline Size and Intrinsic Strain of Hexagonal CdTe Thin Films

In this study, cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films were synthesized using direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering, and their structural and elastic properties were extensively analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed spherical CdTe grains with an average size of approximately 850 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) profile analysis, complemented by the Scherrer equation, Scherrer plot, Williamson–Hall (W–H) equations (UDM, USDM, UDEDM), and the Size–Strain Plot (SSP) method, was used to evaluate crystallite size and various elastic properties such as intrinsic strain, microstress, and energy density for different planes respectively. It was observed that crystallite size and intrinsic strain increased with the thickness of the CdTe films, which was attributed to different ionization levels of dissociated Te and Cd atoms at varying sputtering powers.