Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a II-VI compound semiconductor with a zinc-blende crystal structure, widely recognized as a direct-bandgap material suitable for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications. It is a primary material for thin-film solar cells and X-ray/gamma-ray detectors due to its favorable band gap and high atomic number, offering superior light absorption and radiation sensitivity compared to silicon-based alternatives. CdTe's established industrial presence in utility-scale photovoltaic manufacturing and medical imaging systems makes it a proven choice where efficiency, compactness, and radiation detection capability are critical; however, its toxicity and cadmium content impose strict handling and regulatory considerations that engineers must account for in design and deployment.
Compliance & Regulations
| Property | Value | Unit | Conditions | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bulk Modulus(K)3 entries | 35.31 | GPa | — | ||
| ↳ | 35.01 | GPa | — | ||
| ↳ | 37.76 | GPa | — | ||
Elastic Compliance Tensor(Sij) | Matrix (redacted) | 1/GPa | — | ||
Elastic Anisotropy(AU) | 0.7988 | - | — | ||
Elastic Stiffness Tensor(Cij) | Matrix (redacted) | Pa | — | ||
Poisson's Ratio(ν)2 entries | 0.3299 | - | — | ||
| ↳ | 0.3500 | - | — | ||
Shear Modulus(G)3 entries | 13.55 | GPa | — | ||
| ↳ | 13.13 | GPa | — | ||
| ↳ | 12.49 | GPa | — |
| Property | Value | Unit | Conditions | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thermal Conductivity(k) | 6.670 | W/(m·K) | — |
| Property | Value | Unit | Conditions | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Density(ρ) | 5.586 | kg/m³ | — |
| Property | Value | Unit | Conditions | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Band Gap(Eg)2 entries | 1.500 | eV | — | ||
| ↳ | 0.5260 | eV | — | ||
Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity)(εr)3 entries | 12.44 | - | — | ||
| ↳ | 14.82 | - | — | ||
| ↳ | 10.03 range 8.683–11.37median of 2 measurements | - | — | ||
Electronic Dielectric Tensor(ε∞) | Matrix (redacted) | - | — | ||
Total Dielectric Tensor(ε) | Matrix (redacted) | - | — | ||
Magnetic Moment(μB) | 0.000 | µB | — | ||
Piezoelectric Modulus(eij)2 entries | 0.00485 | C/m² | — | ||
| ↳ | 0.7497 | C/m² | — | ||
Piezoelectric Stress Tensor(eij) | Matrix (redacted) | C/m² | — | ||
Seebeck Coefficient(S) | -30.18 | µV/K | — |
| Property | Value | Unit | Conditions | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Energy Above Hull(ΔEhull) | 0.00480 | eV/atom | — | ||
Formation Energy(ΔHf)2 entries | -0.5224 | eV/atom | — | ||
| ↳ | -0.4042 | eV/atom | — |