Solution growth of cadmium telluride

Cadmium telluride crystal has been grown by solution method from Te-rich (Cd_0·3Te_0·7) melt. Ingots having 9 mm diameter and length up to 30 mm were grown by cooling the melt slowly (1°C/h) under a vertical temperature gradient of about 30°C/cm. As-grown ingots were characterized for optical transmission and resistivity. The middle portion of the ingots exhibited better optical transmission properties. Resistivity (p-type) was found increasing, towards the last-to-grow end, from 10³ to 10⁶ Θ-cm. Surface barrier type of detectors, made from low resistivity (≅ 10⁴Θ-cm) materials, were found suitable for detection ofX- and low energy gamma radiations. In case of high resistivity (≅10⁶Θ-cm) detectors, the performance was seen to be affected by polarization. Paper presented at the poster session of MRSI AGM VI, Kharagpur, 1995