Effect of oxygen adsorption on instability in electrical resistance of CdSe0.6Te0.4 thin films

CdSe0.6Te0.4 thin films of varying thicknesses and deposited at different substrate temperatures showed considerable increase in resistance with time (aging) when exposed to oxygen and ambient atmosphere. The observed behavior is explained by an oxygen adsorption model, which was further supported by the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the film. The thickness dependence of conduction activation energy observed is attributed to the variation of the depth of donor impurity levels present in the film. © 1989 The American Physical Society.