Using thermo-calc software to produce the phase diagram of Zn-Te system

Abstract

In this work, Thermo-Calc software 2019b is used to recalculate the liquidus-solidus phase diagram of the Zn-Te binary system. The produced phase diagram is in good agreement with the experimental results found in the literature, and it shows five stable phases, which are elemental Zn, elemental Te, ZnTe compound, Zn liquid, and Te liquid. A monotectic reaction is observed at monotectic temperature of 1479.14 K and 59.369 Zn mole percent, and a miscibility gap is found between 59.369 and 97.2781 Zn mole percent above the monotectic temperature. Moreover, there are two eutectic reactions at the Te and Zn terminals. From this phase diagram, the maximum solubility of ZnTe in liquid Zn is determined as 2.7219% at 1479.14 K. The melting points of Te, Zn, and stoichiometic ZnTe are found to be 722.587 ± 0.025 K, 692.680 ± 0.025 K, and 1568.400 ± 0.025 K respectively. These results are important for the development of preparation methods of ZnTe, which is important for several industries including solar cells.