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.