InxTey semiconductor thin films obtained by co-evaporation

InxTey thin films have been obtained by co-evaporation of In and Te from tungsten crucibles. The crucible temperature is managed in order to obtain evaporation rates in such a way that the atomic ratio Te/In is far higher than 2/3. The final composition of the films is controlled by the substrate temperature T-s during deposition. These films have been characterized by electrical measurements, but also by X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When T-s is 673 K the films obtained are, In7Te10 films, crystallized in the rhombohedral system. When the substrate temperature is decreased a new phase appears in the films, the In2Te3. Then the contribution of this new phase increases up to the disappearance of the In7Te10 phase. This evolution is discussed with the help of In-Te bond stability. The electrical properties of these films are interpreted with the help of the grain boundary models. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.