The Preferred Orientation of CdSe and CdS Thin Films on the AlO x and SiO 2 Templates

In order to find the structural characteristics of the thin films of group II-VI semiconductor compounds compared with those of powder materials, films were made of 4 powders of ZnS, CdS, CdSe, and CdTe(Aldrich), each with 99.99 % purity. For the ZnS/CdS multi-layers, the ZnS layer was coated over the CdS layer on an membrane, which served as a protective layer within a vacuum at the average speed of 1 /sec. After studying the structures of the group II-VI semiconductor thin films by using X-ray spectroscopy, we found that the ZnS, ZnS/CdS, CdS, and CdSe films were hexagonal and exhibited some degree of preferred orientation. Also, the particles of the thin films of II-VI semiconductor compounds proved to be more homogeneous in size compared to those of the powder materials. These results were further verified through scanning electron microscopy(SEM), EDX analysis, and powder and thin film X-ray diffraction.