Hardness and Elastic Modulus Measurements in CdTe and ZnTe Thin Film and Bulk Samples and ZnTe-CdTe Superlattices

Hardness and modulus values of bulk and epilayer ZnTe and CdTe samples and of ZnTe-CdTe superlattices are reported. Both hardness and Young’s modulus values increase with increasing ZnTe content in the ZnCdTe samples. Alloying effects and strains in the superlattice structure are proposed to explain the strengthening.