Effects of Cu 2+ ion incorporation into ZnTe nanocrystals dispersed within a glass matrix

This paper reports on the optical, morphological, structural and magnetic properties of Zn1-xCuxTe nanocrystals, doped with Cu (x varying from 0.000 to 0.100) and grown by thermal annealing at 500 °C in a P2O5–ZnO–Al2O3–BaO–PbO glass system that had been synthesized by fusion. At higher levels of Cu-doping, optical absorption (OA) showed that Cu2+ ions were incorporated within and dispersed throughout the lattice of the ZnTe semiconductor. The OA spectra also showed that the growth kinetics of these NCs were influenced by the Cu2+ magnetic ions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the lattice parameter of the nanocrystals was not affected by the incorporation of Cu2+ ions. Finally, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of the Cu2+ ions showed asymmetrical hyperfine lines as well as proved a substitutive incorporation of Cu2+ in ZnTe NCs.