Radio frequency sputtered films of copper-doped zinc telluride

Highlights: • P-type ZnTe:Cu produced by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. • The bandgap of ZnTe:Cu films decreased with the increase in copper concentration. • Cu can substitute Zn to form Cu_Zn acceptor or combine withTe to form compounds. • Properly increasing deposition temperature ( Because of its ability to be doped highly p-type, and its band structure with CdTe is matched, ZnTe is supposed to have a significant use as a buffer layer for back contact to CdTe solar cells. In this study, we had determined that the choice of deposition parameters can indeed affect the growth rate and morphology of the undoped and copper-doped ZnTe films. Additionally, we investigated the effects of copper atomic concentration on the optical, structural and electrical properties of ZnTe film prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering.