Luminescence effects of ion-beam bombardment of CdTe surfaces

In the present work, we report the effect of low-energy ion bombardment on CdTe surfaces. The effect is revealed by FESEM images and photoluminescence (PL) measurements carried out before and after irradiation of CdTe polycrystals by means of an ion-beam sputtering (IBS) system. An important improvement in the luminescence of CdTe was observed in the irradiated areas, related to defect-free surfaces.