Polycrystalline CdTe thin films were prepared by close-spacedsublimation (CCS) and were annealed in different condition. The thin films werecharacterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) andX-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The content distribution and valence stateof all elements after annealing were studied. All results show that the as-deposited CdTe thin films are in a cubic phase and have the preferred orientationin (111) direction. After annealing, the peak intensity of (111), (220), (311)grows and the crystal grains grow up, while the crystal boundary decreases. Sothe compound probabilities of current carrier decrease, therefore shuntresistance and drain current are improved. From detailed analysis of X-rayphotoelectron data, it is proposed that tellurium oxides present and its contentreduces with depth increasing and that there are TeCl2O building blocks.础项目(2006J13-083)资助