Investigation of tin-based alternatives for cadmium in optoelectronic thin-film materials.
Increasing legislation has steadily been introduced throughout the world to restrict the use of heavy metals, particularly cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in high temperature pigments, ceramics, and optoelectronic material applications. Removal of cadmium from thin-film optical and semiconductor device applications has been hampered by the absence of viable alternatives that exhibit similar properties with stability and durability. We describe a range of tin-based compounds that have been deposited and characterized in terms of their optical and mechanical properties and compare them with existing cadmium-based films that currently find widespread use in the optoelectronic and semiconductor industries.
Wakeham
Steven
S
Infrared Multilayer Laboratory, School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading,Berkshire RG6 6AY, UK.
Hawkins
Gary
G
Henderson
Graham
G
Carthey
Nicholas
N
D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation; D006801:Humans; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012666:Semiconductors; D014001:Tin / Q000633:toxicity
D002104:Cadmium; D014001:Tin