• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.459-467
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• 2009

$Cd_2GeSe_4$ and $Cd_2GeSe_4:Co^{2+}$ films were prepared on indium-tin-oxide(ITO)-coated glass substrates by using thermal evaporation. The crystallization was achieved by annealing the as-deposited films in flowing nitrogen. X-ray diffraction spectra showed that the $Cd_2GeSe_4$ and the $Cd_2GeSe_4:Co^{2+}$ films were preferentially grown along the (113) orientation. The crystal structure was rhomohedral(hexagonal) with lattice constants of $a=7.405\;{\AA}$ and $c=36.240\;{\AA}$ for $Cd_2GeSe_4$ and $a=7.43\;{\AA}$ and $c=36.81\;{\AA}$ for $Cd_2GeSe_4:Co^{2+}$ films. From the scanning electron microscope images, the $Cd_2GeSe_4$ and $Cd_2GeSe_4:Co^{2+}$ films were plated, and the grain size increased with increasing annealing temperature. The optical energy band gap, measured at room temperature, of the as-deposited $Cd_2GeSe_4$ films was 1.70 eV and increased to about 1.74 eV and of the as-deposited $Cd_2GeSe_4:Co^{2+}$ films was 1.79 eV and decreased to about 1.74 eV upon annealing in flowing nitrogen at temperatures from $200^{\circ}C$ to $500^{\circ}C$. The dynamical behavior of the charge carriers in the $Cd_2GeSe_4$ and $Cd_2GeSe_4:Co^{2+}$ films were investigated by using the photoinduced discharge characteristics technique.