Rare decays of cadmium and tellurium

We report on the pulse height spectrum observed with a CdTe detector in a low-background shield. The spectrum is dominated by the $T_{1/2}$∼${10}^{16}$ yr ${\beta }^{\mathrm{-}}$ decay of ${}_{}{}^{113}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Cd}$. Limits are set on the double beta decay of the isotopes ${}_{}{}^{106}{}_{}{}^{}$,114,116Cd and ${}_{}{}^{128}{}_{}{}^{}$,130Te, and the prospects for a more sensitive search for this mode of decay are discussed.