Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition CdTe passivation of HgCdTe

CdTe epilayers are grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on bulk HgCdTe crystals with x ~ 0.22 grown by the traveling heater method (THM). The THM HgCdTe substrates are (111) oriented and the CdTe is grown on the Te face. The metalorganic sources are DMCd and DETe, and the growth is performed at subatmospheric pressure. Ultraviolet (UV) photon-assisted hydrogen radicals pretreatment plays a dominant role in the electrical properties of the resulting heterostructures. The requirements of a good passivation for HgCdTe photodiodes vis-a-vis the passivation features of CdTe/HgCdTe heterostructures are discussed. The effect of valence band offset and interface charges on the band diagrams of p-isotype CdTe/HgCdTe heterostructures, for typical doping levels of the bulk HgCdTe substrates and the MOCVD grown CdTe, is presented. Electrical properties of the CdTe/HgCdTe passivation are determined by capacitance-voltage and current-voltage characteristics of metal-insulator-semiconductor test devices, where the MOCVD CdTe is the insulator. It is found that the HgCdTe surface is strongly inverted and the interface charge density is of the order of 10¹²cm² when the CdTe epilayer is grown without the UV pretreatment. With the in-situ UV photon-assisted hydrogen radicals pretreatment, the HgCdTe surface is accumulated and the interface charge density is -4. 10¹¹ cm^-2.     

Direct growth of high-quality thick CdTe epilayers on Si (211) substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy for nuclear radiation detection and imaging

Direct growth of high-quality, thick CdTe (211) epilayers, with thickness up to 100 μm, on Si (211) substrates in a vertical metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy system is reported. In order to obtain homo-orientation growth on Si substrates, pretreatment of the substrates was carried out in a separate chamber by annealing them together with pieces of GaAs at 800–900°C in a hydrogen environment. Grown epilayers had very good substrate adhesion. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) value of the x-ray double-crystal rocking curve from the CdTe (422) reflection decreased rapidly with increasing layer thickness and remained between 140–200 arcsec for layers >18 μm. Photoluminescence measurement at 4.2 K showed high-intensity, bound excitonic emission and very small defect-related deep emissions, indicating the high crystalline quality of the grown layers. Furthermore, a CdTe/n⁺-Si heterojunction diode was fabricated that exhibited clear rectifying behavior.     

Synchrotron white beam x-ray topography analysis of MBE grown CdTe/CdTe (111)B

The structural quality of CdTe(111)B substrates and MBE grown CdTe epilayers is examined with synchrotron white beam x-ray topography (SWBXT). Reflection SWBXT indicates that CdTe substrates with comparable x-ray double crystal rocking curve full width at half maximum values can have radically different defect microstructures, i.e. dislocation densities and the presence of inclusions. Dislocation mosaic structures delineated by SWBXT are consistent with the distribution of etch pits revealed by destructive chemical etch pit analysis. Direct one-to-one correspondence between distinct features of the topographic image and individual etch pits is demonstrated. Clearly resolved images of individual dislocations are obtained by carrying out transmission SWBXT. Our investigation demonstrates how, the extent of twinning in a CdTe epilayer is strongly influenced by the quality of the defect microstructure, and how dislocations propagate from an inclusion.     

A CdTe passivation process for long wavelength infrared HgCdTe photo-detectors

Passivant-Hg_1−xCd_xTe interface has been studied for the CdTe and anodic oxide (AO) passivants. The former passivation process yields five times lower surface recombination velocity than the latter process. Temperature dependence of surface recombination velocity of the CdTe/n-HgCdTe and AO/n-HgCdTe interface is analyzed. Activation energy of the surface traps for CdTe and AO-passivated wafers are estimated to be in the range of 7–10 meV. These levels are understood to be arising from Hg vacancies at the HgCdTe surface. Fixed charge density for CdTe/n-HgCdTe interface measured by CV technique is 5×10¹⁰ cm⁻², which is comparable to the epitaxially grown CdTe films. An order of magnitude improvement in responsivity and a factor of 4 increase in specific detectivity (D*) is achieved by CdTe passivation over AO passivation. This study has been conducted on photoconductive detectors to qualify the CdTe passivation process, with an ultimate aim to use it for the passivation of p-on-n and n-on-p HgCdTe photodiodes.     

Optical and microstructural characterization of the effects of rapid thermal annealing of CdTe thin films grown on Si (100) substrates

The effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on CdTe/Si (100) heterostructures have been studied in order to improve the structural quality of CdTe epilayers. Samples of CdTe (111) polycrystalline thin films grown by vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) on Si (100) substrates have been investigated. The strained structures were rapidly thermally annealed at 400°C, 450°C, 500°C, 550°C, and 600°C for 10 sec. The microstructural properties of the CdTe films were characterized by carrying out scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). We have shown that the structural quality of the CdTe epilayers improves significantly with increasing annealing temperature. The optimum annealing temperature resulting in the highest film quality has been found to be 500°C. Additionally, we have shown that the surface nucleation characterized by the island size distribution can be correlated with the crystalline quality of the film.     

The role of drift,diffusion, and recombination in time‐resolved photoluminescence of CdTe solar cells determined through numerical simulation

Time‐resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements are one of the key metrics available to determine the minority‐carrier lifetime in the absorber layer of direct band gap photovoltaic devices. Direct measurement of the minority‐carrier lifetime is essential to understanding the impact of changes in deposition and processing on material quality. Unfortunately, the TRPL signal is determined by a complex convolution of multiple physical factors including bulk carrier lifetime, interface recombination velocity, electric field, doping density, photo‐excited carrier density, and carrier mobility. To gain clarity, we have used numerical simulations to analyze the carrier dynamics after a CdTe device is illuminated with a short light pulse. After the light pulse, the photo‐generated carriers undergo complex dynamics including drift, diffusion, interface, and bulk recombination. In this work, we develop a new formalism that enables much greater insight into which factors dominate the TRPL decay dynamics. By breaking down the carrier dynamics into drift, diffusion, and recombination terms, we have developed six‐factor, four‐factor, and two‐factor analyses that provide clear understanding of which physical factors dominate the decay dynamics under various conditions and at different times during the decay. We show that in a typical CdTe device under the typical experimental conditions used in our laboratories, the faster part of the decay is dominated by charge separation, whereas the slower part is dominated by carrier recombination. Therefore, under the conditions investigated in this study, the slower part of the decay is a better parameter to explain the defect density in the CdTe layer. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CdS/CdTe太阳电池的背接触

磷硝酸腐蚀是一种适宜于工业化生产的背表面刻蚀工艺.文中采用磷硝酸腐蚀CdTe薄膜,并用溴甲醇腐蚀作为对照实验,研究了两种腐蚀对材料性质的影响.随后用真空蒸发法分别沉积了四种背接触层,提出了适宜于工业化生产的背接触技术,并从实验和理论上对两种背接触结构的CdTe太阳电池进行了分析.     

Hydrogen transport vapor phase epitaxy of CdTe on hybrid substrates for x-ray detector applications

The growth of thick CdTe epitaxial layers by the hydrogen transport vapor phase epitaxy (H₂T-VPE) method is reported for the first time. The thermodynamics of the H₂ transport method of CdTe is analyzed to determine the equilibrium partial pressures of the molecular species in the vapor and its supersaturation as a function of growth conditions. (100)-oriented CdTe epilayers are successfully grown by H₂T-VPE on hybrid ZnTe/GaAs(100) substrates prepared by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Growth rates up to 10 μm/h are obtained at temperatures ∼760°C and with the CdTe source temperature at 827°C. The achievement of even higher growth rates can be foreseen by using the present method under slightly different conditions; several hundreds micron thick CdTe layers can be thus grown by the H₂T-VPE. CdTe samples have mirror-like, nearly featureless surfaces. Also, CdTe epilayers have shown a medium-to-high resistivity at room temperature, possibly as a result of compensation by donor impurities diffusing from GaAs. Still the growth of highly resistive layers by in-situ chlorine doping during the H₂T-VPE growth is possible. In summary, H₂T-VPE is a potential alternative to traditional melt- and vapor-growth methods for the synthesis of detector-grade CdTe for application to the 1–100 keV x-ray energy range.     

Photon assisted growth of nitrogen-doped CdTe and the effects of hydrogen incorporation during growth

Nitrogen doping in CdTe epilayers grown by photo-assisted molecular beam epitaxy was demonstrated using an rf plasma source. The effect of the presence of atomic hydrogen during growth of undoped and nitrogen-doped CdTe was investigated. The layers were characterized using photoluminescence spectros-copy (PL), Hall effect, secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. PL confirmed the incorporation of nitrogen as acceptors. While p-type carrier concentrations greater than 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ were easily obtained, SIMS measurements indicated that nitrogen was concentrated near the undoped-doped and epilayer-substrate interfaces which complicates interpretation of activation efficiency. Hydrogen incorporation was found to be enhanced by the presence of nitrogen. Infrared absorption measurements strongly suggested the formation of N-H complexes. Hall measurements indicated that complexes are formed which are donor-like in nature. The presence of atomic hydrogen during growth radically changed the low temperature photoluminescence in both undoped and nitrogen-doped layers. Exciton-related luminescence was quenched at low temperature. Nitrogenrelated donor-acceptor pair luminescence was also absent from the N-doped hydrogenated layers, consistent with complex formation. Copper (a cation-site acceptor) donor-acceptor pair luminescence appeared to be enhanced by hydrogenation.     

CdTe钝化的HgCdTe非平衡载流子表面复合速度的实验研究

利用Ａｒ＾＋束央求宙积技术在ＧｇＣｄＴｅ表面实现了低温ＣｄＴｅ介质薄膜的低温生长。在用－ＨｇＣｄＴｅ晶片表面分别用ＣｄＴｅ介质膜、ＨｇＣｄＴｅ自身阳极氧化膜进行表面钝化。利用光电导衰退测量技术测量了两种不同表面钝化的薄ＨｇＣｄＴｅ晶片的非平衡载流子（少数载流子）寿命,并通过光电导衰减信号波形的拟合,得到两种不同表面钝化的ＨｇＣｄＴｅ表面复合速度。实验结果表明,获得的ＣｄＴｅ／ＨｇＣｄＴｅ界面质量已     

Nitrogen doping of ZnSe and CdTe epilayers: A comparison of two rf sources

Nitrogen is the most promising dopant for p-type ZnSe, and is attractive for CdTe p-type doping, but unwanted compensating centers have limited the maximum achievable carrier densities in both of these material systems. One important factor is the nitrogen source. The characteristics of the nitrogen source (i.e., ratio of charged to neutral species) influence both the nitrogen incorporation rate and the types of centers which may be produced in epilayers. We have performed a study of ZnSe:N and CdTe:N using two different rf plasma sources: an Oxford CARS-25 and an EPI Unibulb. The EPI source has a very high efficiency for producing atomic nitrogen (∼70%) while maintaining a very low total ion content. Both sources gave a high incorporation of nitrogen; however, Hall measurements indicate that compensation is still a problem in p-type doping of these materials. A detailed liquid-helium-temperature photoluminescence study has been performed to monitor changes in the defect structure produced using different source operating parameters.     

Plasma-Cleaned InSb (112)B for Large-Area Epitaxy of HgCdTe Sensors

Plasma etching of (112)B InSb to prepare this semiconductor for the heteroepitaxy deposition of CdTe and initial studies of CdTe epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on InSb (112)B substrates cleaned with various plasma treatments are presented. X-ray diffraction rocking curve maps of the MBE CdTe epilayers on 3-inch InSb (112)B substrates have full-width at half-maxima (FWHM) values in the range of 20 arcsec to 30 arcsec. An etch pit density analysis of the 3-inch CdTe epilayers reveals a defect density of 1.0 × 10⁷ cm⁻² and 7.7 × 10⁵ cm⁻² at the center and edge of the wafer, respectively. Evaluation of a standard HgCdTe annealing process suggests that the removal of the InSb substrate is likely to be needed prior to any postgrowth annealing in Hg overpressure. Finally, we present a low-energy helium plasma exposure of wet-etched InSb (112)B substrates that provides a uniform epi-ready surface that is nearly stoichiometric, and free of oxide and residual contaminants.     

Direct growth of CdTe on (100), (211), and (111) Si by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

CdTe epilayers were grown directly on (100), (211), and (111) silicon substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The crystallinity and the growth orientation of the CdTe film were dependent on the surface treatment of the Si substrate. The surface treatment consisted of exposure of the Si surface to diethyltelluride (DETe) at temperatures over 600°C prior to CdTe growth. Direct growth of CdTe on (100) Si produced polycrystalline films whereas (lll)B single crystals grew when Si was exposed to DETe prior to CdTe growth. On (211) Si, single crystal films with (133)A orientation was obtained when grown directly; but produced films with (211)A orientation when the Si surface was exposed to DETe. On the other hand, only (lll)A CdTe films were possible on (111) Si, both with and without Te source exposure, although twinning was increased after exposure. The results indicate that the exposure to a Te-source changes the initial growth stage significantly, except for the growth on (111) Si. We propose a model in which a Te atom replaces a Si atom that is bound to two Si atoms.     

Cadmium telluride growth on patterned substrates for mercury cadmium telluride infrared detectors

Patterned silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates have been proposed to grow low defect density CdTe. The CdTe epilayers so obtained will enable the growth of good-quality mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) layers subsequently. This would increase the scope for better performance of infrared detectors fabricated on the HgCdTe epilayers. A background of our previous work on metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of GaN on nanopatterned alternative silicon substrates has been presented. Residual stress measurements were made on the GaN epilayers by spatially resolved Raman spectroscopy, which shows reduced strain in the epilayer growth on the patterned substrates. A theoretical approach of strain in planar substrates, compliant substrates, and patterned compliant substrates is presented with detailed plots.     

Characterization of CdTe and HgCdTe by Photo-Thermal Excitation Spectroscopy

We report an infrared photo-thermal excitation imaging and spectroscopy study of CdTe and CdZnTe substrates as well as HgCdTe/CdZnTe and HgCdTe/Si epilayers. The applicability, advantages, and limitations of the technique as a tool for both ex situ and in situ monitoring of bandgap, thickness, and growth temperature are discussed. We show that photo-thermal imaging allows for direct visual imaging of the bandgap region of CdTe and CdZnTe substrates. We also show that photo-thermal spectroscopy can provide epilayer thickness information independent of the dielectric function. The method is orthogonal to existing optical characterization techniques and could be combined with them for improved accuracy.     

In-situ ellipsometric measurements of the MBE growth of CdTe/HgTe and CdTe/ZnTe superlattices

Phase modulated ellipsometric data recorded during molecular beam epitaxial growth of CdTe/HgTe and CdTe/ZnTe superlattices on (100) and (211)B oriented Cd_0.96Zn_0.04Te and GaAs substrates are presented. The measurements provide a continuous monitor of the growth process, thickness, growth rate, compositional data, and evidence of interdiffusion in CdTe/HgTe superlattices at elevated temperatures. The thickness measurements are independent of growth kinetics and surface orientation and agree well with those obtained from x-ray diffraction and reflection high energy electron diffraction. Ellipsometry shows that the incorporation of Hg in CdTe is significantly higher on (100) oriented surfaces than on (211)B oriented surfaces. Fine structure in the data from CdTe/ZnTe superlattices may be associated with a surface reconstruction during deposition of each CdTe layer. The experimental results for CdTe/HgTe superlattices compare well with results of thin film multi-layer calculations. The general applicability of ellipsometry as an in-situ analytical technique for epitaxial growth of a range of semiconductor superlattices is discussed.     

Impurity Gettering in (112)B HgCdTe/CdTe/Alternate Substrates

The crystalline structure and impurity profiles of HgCdTe/CdTe/alternate substrate (AS; Si and GaAs are possibilities) and CdTe/AS were analyzed by secondary-ion mass spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, etch pit density analysis, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Impurities (Li, Na, and K) were shown to getter in as-grown CdTe/Si epilayers at in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal (~500°C) interfaces. In HgCdTe/CdTe/Si epilayers, indium accumulation was observed at Te-stabilized thermal anneal interfaces. Impurity accumulation was measured at HgCdTe/CdTe and CdTe/ZnTe interfaces. Processing anneals were found to nearly eliminate the gettering effect at the in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal interfaces. Impurities were found to redistribute to the front HgCdTe/CdTe/Si surface and p–n junction interfaces during annealing steps. We also investigated altering the in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal process to enhance the gettering effect.     

Growth and Analysis of HgCdTe on Alternate Substrates

Dislocations generated at the HgCdTe/CdTe(buffer layer) interface are demonstrated to play a significant role in influencing the crystalline characteristics of HgCdTe epilayers on alternate substrates (AS). A dislocation density >10⁸?cm^?2 is observed at the HgCdTe/CdTe interface. Networks of dislocations are generated at the HgCdTe/CdTe interface. The dislocation networks are observed to entangle. Significant dislocation reduction occurs within a few microns of the HgCdTe/CdTe interface. The reduction in dislocation density as a function of depth is enhanced by annealing. Etch pit density and x-ray diffraction full-width at half-maximum values increase as a function of the lattice mismatch between HgCdTe epilayer and the buffer layer/substrate. The experimental results suggest that only by reducing HgCdTe/CdTe lattice mismatch will the desired crystallinity be achieved for HgCdTe epilayers on AS.     

Modelling of growth rate uniformity of CdTe epilayer by MOCVD

A 2-dimensional mathematical model was established to simulate the growth rate uniformity of CdTe epilayers which were grown in a horizontal MOCVD reactor. Both transport phenomena and the surface decomposition kinetics of diethyl telluride were considered. The calculated effects of reactor pressure and substrate temperature on growth rates along the flow axis were compared with experimental results. They agreed well with each other. These effects were then explained by the relative importance of mass transfer to reaction kinetics. In general, higher growth temperature and higher reactor pressure both favor a mass transfer controlled CVD growth situation. However, to obtain uniformly grown epilayers, one would wish to operate under reaction kinetics controlled region,i.e. low substrate temperature and low reactor pressure.     

近空间升华沉积CdTe薄膜的微结构和PL谱

用近空间升华法在CdS薄膜上沉积了CdTe薄膜.研究了在两种保护气氛下所沉积的多晶CdTe薄膜在后处理后的微结构、表面形貌及光致发光(PL)谱,并研究了CdTe表面和CdS/CdTe界面的PL谱的区别,根据薄膜的微结构对碲化镉在太阳电池中的应用进行了讨论.