Evolution of wurtzite CdTe through the formation of cluster assembled films

An approach has been developed to produce CdTe films with a high proportion of the metastable wurtzite phase. It involves the use of pulsed laser deposition to produce CdTe nanoparticles which are then collected on a substrate. Electron microscopy indicates that the nanoparticles produced have a relatively minor fraction of the wurtzite phase coexisting with the stable zinc blende phase. If these same nanoparticles arrive at a heated substrate they form a relatively dense cluster assembled film with an obvious wurtzite signature. Quite remarkable is that higher temperatures promote the metastable structure at the expense of the stable zinc blende phase. © 2006 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.2357033