Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) is a member of the II-VI family of compound semiconductors. Because of its large mean atomic number (50), reasonably high bandgap (1.44 eV), adequate carrier mobilities and existence of both n and p type conductivities, CdTe has been investigated for a number of applications such as gamma ray detectors, solar cells, laser windows, electro-optic modulators and as a substrate for the epitaxial growth of mercury cadmium telluride HgCdTe for use in the fabrication of infrared detectors and arrays. These applications notwithstanding, the crystal growth technology of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) lags behind other important compound semiconductors such as GaAs. This is due in part to its unique thermal and chemical properties.
Materials for electronics such as Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and related compounds are used in highly sensitive detectors and photorefractive devices. CdTe-based X-ray and gamma-ray detectors have high potential in real time dental imaging or mammography, including 3-D tomography. This promises faster and more reliable medical diagnosis, while exposing the patient to lower radiation doses. Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) infrared detectors enable high-resolution thermal imaging and high data rate optical telecommunication. In addition, thephotorefractive properties can be exploited for high-performance devices in optical ultrasonic non-destructive testing.