{"title":"Comprehensive Review on CdTe Crystals: Growth, Properties, and Photovoltaic Application","authors":"Bibin John, S. Varadharajaperumal","doi":"10.1134/s0031918x2110094x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Abstract</h3><p>Despite the deep interest of materials scientists in cadmium telluride (CdTe) crystal growth, there is no single source to which the researchers can turn towards for comprehensive knowledge of CdTe compound semiconductor synthesis protocols, physical properties and performance. Considering this, the present review work focuses to bridge this shortcoming. The direct band gap (<i>E</i><sub>g</sub>) CdTe crystals have been in limelight in photovoltaic application (PV) since the optoelectronic properties such as <i>E</i><sub>g</sub> (1.49 eV), absorption coefficient (~10<sup>5</sup> cm<sup>–1</sup>), <i>p</i>-type conductivity, carrier concentration (6 × 10<sup>16</sup> cm<sup>–3</sup>) and mobility (1040 cm<sup>2</sup>/(V s)) at the room temperature are reported that optimum for solar cells. Additionally, Cd-based compounds such as CdTe and CdZnTe have also been widely studied in the field of α and γ-ray radiation detector, because of their extraordinary advantages like large atomic number, low weight, high mechanical hardness, flexibility, and the availability of the constituent materials. CdTe has demerits like toxicity and high melting temperature, which will complicate the growth of stoichiometric cadmium telluride crystals at high temperatures. In this regard, the review work focused the periodic evolution of the growth protocols until now. The different synthesis methods, characterization, and recent progress in the field of crystalline CdTe were discussed briefly. Important optical and electrical characteristics are presented in the tables and remaining issues have discussed, this could be looked into for further research. The applications of CdTe crystals for photovoltaic fields are also discussed in this review paper.</p>","PeriodicalId":20180,"journal":{"name":"Physics of Metals and Metallography","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Physics of Metals and Metallography","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1134/s0031918x2110094x","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"METALLURGY & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Despite the deep interest of materials scientists in cadmium telluride (CdTe) crystal growth, there is no single source to which the researchers can turn towards for comprehensive knowledge of CdTe compound semiconductor synthesis protocols, physical properties and performance. Considering this, the present review work focuses to bridge this shortcoming. The direct band gap (Eg) CdTe crystals have been in limelight in photovoltaic application (PV) since the optoelectronic properties such as Eg (1.49 eV), absorption coefficient (~105 cm–1), p-type conductivity, carrier concentration (6 × 1016 cm–3) and mobility (1040 cm2/(V s)) at the room temperature are reported that optimum for solar cells. Additionally, Cd-based compounds such as CdTe and CdZnTe have also been widely studied in the field of α and γ-ray radiation detector, because of their extraordinary advantages like large atomic number, low weight, high mechanical hardness, flexibility, and the availability of the constituent materials. CdTe has demerits like toxicity and high melting temperature, which will complicate the growth of stoichiometric cadmium telluride crystals at high temperatures. In this regard, the review work focused the periodic evolution of the growth protocols until now. The different synthesis methods, characterization, and recent progress in the field of crystalline CdTe were discussed briefly. Important optical and electrical characteristics are presented in the tables and remaining issues have discussed, this could be looked into for further research. The applications of CdTe crystals for photovoltaic fields are also discussed in this review paper.
期刊介绍:
The Physics of Metals and Metallography (Fizika metallov i metallovedenie) was founded in 1955 by the USSR Academy of Sciences. Its scientific profile involves the theory of metals and metal alloys, their electrical and magnetic properties, as well as their structure, phase transformations, and principal mechanical properties. The journal also publishes scientific reviews and papers written by experts involved in fundamental, application, and technological studies. The annual volume of publications amounts to some 250 papers submitted from 100 leading national scientific institutions.