Structural and Thermodynamic Properties of Pb-Cd-Te Thin Films: Experimental Study and DFT Analysis

Vacuum evaporation technology was applied to fabricate Pb_0.9Cd_0.1Te:Pb (3 at.%) thin films on glass and polycrystalline silicon substrates. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the rock salt structure with the (100) preferred growing direction for the investigated films. The formation of films on an amorphous glass substrate occurs by two consecutive growth mechanisms. The Volmer–Weber mechanism is the initial mechanism, and it gradually changes with the Frank–van der Merve mechanism. On the polycrystalline silicon substrate, the Volmer–Weber growth mechanism is dominant. Surface formations are oriented and needle-like. A complex of thermodynamic parameters: the enthalpy of formation, entropy, Gibbs free energy, and heat capacity were calculated using the estimated crystallographic data. This work brings light on the fabrication process of single-phase Pb_0.9Cd_0.1Te:Pb (3 at.%) thin films with a high-quality surface using the low-cost and simple vacuum evaporation method.