The present paper reports the analysis of photoconductivity of vacuum deposited zinc telluride (ZnTe) thin films as a function of substrate temperature and post-deposition annealing. Detailed analyses were first carried out to understand the effect of substrate temperature and annealing on the structure, composition, optical and electrical properties of the films. The films deposited at elevated substrate temperatures showed faster and improved photoresponse. Post-deposition annealing was found to further enhance the photoresponse of the films. Attempts have been made to explain the improvement in the photoresponse on the basis of structural and compositional changes, taking place in the films, due to the substrate temperature and annealing. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.