In this work, the reflectance, optical absorption, and band gap have been determined for CdTe thin films grown on planar and microstructured substrates. The treated surface was prepared by laser ablation of a silicon wafer, forming holes in a periodic arrangement. Thin films were grown by pulsed laser ablation on silicon samples kept at 200 °C inside a vacuum chamber. The presence of CdTe was verified with X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy indicating a nanocrystalline zinc blended structure. The optical absorption of thin films was calculated by using the Fresnel laws and the experimental reflectance spectrum. Results show that reflectance of 245 nm films deposited on modified substrates is reduced by up to a factor of two than the obtained on unchanged silicon and the optical absorption is 16% higher at ~456 nm. Additionally, it was determined that the band gap energy for planar and microstructured films is about 1.44 eV for both cases.

Orthogonal reheating double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to the elemental analysis of CdTe thin film samples. Films were grown through nanosecond pulsed laser ablation over silicon and glass substrates. The analysis was performed by applying a 266 nm pulsed laser devised to minimize sample damage. Re-excitation was conducted using a nanosecond laser emitting at 1064 nm that induced air breakdown 1 mm above the target. Emission enhancement was investigated as a function of both time acquisition delay and inter-pulse delay. The plasma temperature and electron density calculations made showed that the double-pulse scheme produced higher temperature values and a longer plasma duration than single-pulse LIBS. The self-absorption coefficient of the lines was determined from the measured ablated matter, plasma volume and collected spectra. The results of the double-pulse LIBS configuration showed a significant increase in emission intensity, reducing the self-absorption effect. In addition, the relative concentration of the thin films was determined for both experimental schemes. The calculated elemental values for the double-pulse configuration coincide with those expected and are more accurate than those obtained using a single laser.