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Abstract
An ordered polycrystalline approach is proposed to overcome fundamental problems associated with random polycrystalline thin films, namely grain boundaries and inhomogeneity. The approach consists of two main steps; (1) the deposition of a patterned growth mask and (2) the selective-area deposition of the ordered polycrystals. The ordered polycrystalline approach was investigated, and achieved using Selective-Area Growth of Cadmium Telluride on SiO 2, Si3N4, and CdS via Close-Spaced Sublimation. Experimental results demonstrate that SiO2 and Si3N 4 are effective growth masks and that temperature is a dominant parameter for selective-area deposition. PL and XRD characterization indicates that the ordered polycrystalline technique has the potential for improving the crystal quality and order of polycrystalline CdTe thin-films. The approach appears to be fairly general and could be applied to other material systems.
