One-step synthesis of composite thin film with ZnSe and PbTeSe ternary solid solution

Abstract

This study investigates one-step synthesis of composite thin film with ZnSe and PbTeSe ternary solid solution using hot-wall deposition (HWD) with multiple resources of PbTe and ZnSe. HWD consists of three electric furnaces, designated as wall, source-1, and source-2. The PbTe and ZnSe sources were located in the source-2 and source-1 furnaces for simultaneous evaporation to a glass substrate (Corning Eagle 2000). The substrate temperature was changed by circulating water controlled at temperatures of 340–274 K. X-ray diffraction indicates that composite thin films contain ZnSe with zinc-blende structure and PbTeSe ternary solid solution with NaCl structure. The Raman spectrum also suggests formation of ZnSe without alloying with Pb or Te. The lattice constant of the ternary solid solution gradually increases with increasing source temperature of PbTe. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy indicates that the ternary solid solution forms isolated nanocrystals of 16–30 nm in the composite thin film. Therefore, composite thin films are composed of PbTeSe ternary solid solution nanocrystals embedded in a ZnSe matrix.