{
  "abstract": "The study discusses a thorough experimental analysis on RF-sputtered ZnTe thin films prepared with different substrate temperatures in the range of room temperature up to 300 °C at a constant pressure of 5 mTorr and RF power of 30 W. Substrate temperature was established as a thermal design variable controlling the transition of the deposited thin film from Te-rich amorphous to polycrystalline ZnTe film. All films were maintained at a thickness of approximately 85-90 nm. Raman spectroscopy of the 300 °C film confirmed four characteristic vibrational peaks at 121, 142, 210, and 420 cm −1 , with a Zn/Te ratio of 45:55, close to the ideal stoichiometry. Increasing substrate temperature progressively improved crystallinity, enhanced p -type electrical conductivity with a bulk carrier concentration of 2.49 × 10 15 cm −3 , and tuned the direct optical bandgap from 3.04 eV (RT) to 3.39 eV (300 °C), accompanied by a reduction in Urbach energy to 0.58 eV and peak carrier mobility of 2.31 × 10 3 cm 2 V −1 s −1 . The film at 300 °C was determined to be the optimized thermal design point and was used as an interface layer in a CdTe solar cell architecture. Device characterization under illumination revealed that the ZnTe interlayer improved the V oc from 0.538 V to 0.546 V, fill factor from 30.47% to 33.20% and power conversion efficiency from 4.74% to 5.98% over an active area of 0.203 cm 2 . These results demonstrate that thermally engineered ZnTe is a viable undoped interface material for improving the performance of CdTe-based photovoltaics.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka, 1205, Bangladesh",
    "Corresponding author."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Afrina Sharmin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Munira Sultana"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Nusrat Zahan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sharmin Jahan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Muhammad Shahriar Bashar"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1xb5yqf6qyndw.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.rsurfi.2026.101037",
  "fulltext_url": "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666845926003296",
  "id": "1xb5yqf6qyndw",
  "issns": [
    "2666-8459"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsurfi.2026.101037",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "TP250-261"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2208|Chalcogenide Semiconductor Thin Films"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7225137546",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666845926003296/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-08",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1xb5yqf6qyndw.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T14:20:47Z",
      "native_id": "06704fa922754243bbb60359c127f66b",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsurfi.2026.101037"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "lcc:TP250-261",
      "subfield": "electrochemistry-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Engineering ZnTe thin films by thermal control for bandgap tuning and improved CdTe solar cell performance",
  "title_text": "Engineering ZnTe thin films by thermal control for bandgap tuning and improved CdTe solar cell performance",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T14:21:06Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1xb5yqf6qyndw",
  "venue": "Results in Surfaces and Interfaces",
  "versions": []
}