Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) — Properties & Data | MatWorld

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe)

Verifiedsemiconductor

· CdTe· Cadmium Telluride· Cad-Tel

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) is a binary II-VI semiconductor compound with a direct bandgap in the near-infrared region, making it a primary material for optoelectronic and radiation detection applications. The material is most widely deployed in thin-film photovoltaic (solar cell) technology, where it offers high theoretical conversion efficiency and manufactures at lower cost than silicon alternatives; CdTe is also valued in gamma-ray and X-ray detectors for medical imaging, security screening, and nuclear monitoring due to its strong photon absorption and good charge transport properties. Engineers select CdTe when bandgap energy (~1.44 eV) and radiation stopping power are critical, though environmental and health regulations around cadmium toxicity constrain its adoption in some markets and drive ongoing development of cadmium-free alternatives.

thin-film photovoltaic cellsgamma-ray detectorsX-ray imaging sensorsnuclear radiation monitoringinfrared optoelectronicsmedical diagnostic imaging

Compliance & Regulations

?EAR?ISO 10993?Conflict Free?RoHS?REACH?TSCA?Prop 65

Units:

Property OverviewNormalized to typical max values

Property	Value	Unit	Conditions	Source
Young's Modulus(E)	52.00	GPa	—

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Method

Property	Value	Unit	Conditions	Source
Melting Point / Solidus(Tm)	1,365	K	—
Thermal Conductivity(k)2 entries	6.670	W/(m·K)	Measured
↳	6.200	W/(m·K)	—

N entriesMultiple entries per property — large groups are collapsed; click a summary row to expand. Use filters above to narrow by form, heat treatment, basis, or test environment.

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Property	Value	Unit	Conditions	Source
Density(ρ)	5.850	kg/m³	—

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Method

Carrier

Property	Value	Unit	Conditions	Source
Band Gap(Eg)3 entries	1.500	eV	Measured
↳	0.4980	eV	DFT · OptB88vdW
↳	1.640	eV	DFT · TBmBJ
Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity)(εr)	10.20	-	—
High-Frequency Dielectric Constant (ε∞)(ε∞)2 entries	13.52	-	DFT · OptB88vdW
↳	6.546	-	DFT · TBmBJ
Electron Effective Mass(m*e)	0.09000	me	DFT · OptB88vdW · 27°C
Hole Effective Mass(m*h)	0.7700	me	DFT · OptB88vdW · 27°C
Thermoelectric Power Factor(PF)2 entries	0.000167	W/(m·K²)	DFT · OptB88vdW · n-type · 1e20 cm⁻³ · 327°C
↳	0.00298	W/(m·K²)	DFT · OptB88vdW · p-type · 1e20 cm⁻³ · 327°C
Seebeck Coefficient(S)2 entries	-32.16	μV/K	DFT · OptB88vdW · n-type · 1e20 cm⁻³ · 327°C
↳	275.6	μV/K	DFT · OptB88vdW · p-type · 1e20 cm⁻³ · 327°C
Spectroscopic Limited Maximum Efficiency (SLME)(SLME)	30.38	%	DFT · TBmBJ

N entriesMultiple entries per property — large groups are collapsed; click a summary row to expand. Use filters above to narrow by form, heat treatment, basis, or test environment.

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2 interactive curves for this material

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Property	Value	Unit	Conditions	Source
Refractive Index vs Wavelength(n(λ))2 entries	Curve (101 pts)	-	Measured
↳	Curve (101 pts)	-	Measured · 27°C

N entriesMultiple entries per property — large groups are collapsed; click a summary row to expand. Use filters above to narrow by form, heat treatment, basis, or test environment.

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Property	Value	Unit	Conditions	Source
Formation Energy(ΔHf)	-0.5224	eV/atom	Measured

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Reference data from cited sources. Not verified or certified by MatWorld Inc. Verify against the source before use in design. Terms: engineering data

Regulatory Screening

Environmental

Export Control

Safety & Biocompatibility

RoHS, REACH, and Prop 65 statuses are validated against official substance lists (ECHA SVHC Candidate List, OEHHA Prop 65, RoHS Annex II). Other regulations are estimated from composition and material classification. All screening is a starting point for due diligence — always verify with your supplier before making compliance decisions.