Composition and structure of ZnxCd1-xSe single layers prepared by thermal evaporation of ZnSe and CdSe

Single layers of ZnxCd1-xSe with five different compositions and thickness of 400 nm have been prepared by thermal vacuum evaporation, through alloying of ultra thin ZnSe and CdSe films with equivalent thickness of 0.12, 0.25 or 0.37 nm. The deposition was carried out on rotating substrates kept at room temperature. The layer composition was varied by alloying ZnSe and CdSe films with different equivalent thicknesses. The film composition x 0.39, 0.52, 0.59, 0.69 and 0.8 has been determined by Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy and confirmed with Raman scattering data. The microstructure of ZnxCd1-xSe has been investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy and Raman scattering measurement. The Atomic Force Microscopy results have revealed that the layers are nanocrystalline and the grain size is ≤ 20 nm. The Raman scattering data have shown four replicas of the longitudinal optical phonons, thus confirming the conclusion for the layer crystallinity. The obtained results have shown that the applied deposition technique makes possible preparation of ternary nanocrystalline ZnxCd1-xSe layers with desired compositions..