The growth and the interfacial layer of CdZnTe nano-crystalline films by vacuum evaporation

Nano-crystalline CdZnTe films were fabricated by thermal vacuum evaporation. The structure and surface morphology of the CdZnTe films were determined by XRD and SEM. The CdZnTe films were poly-crystalline with preferential (111) orientation. The CdZnTe films exhibited a typical particle size of 15 nm and a blue shift in the absorption with an effective band gap of 2.26 eV. An amorphous Te interfacial layer with thickness of 3 nm was observed with high resolution transmission electron microscopy, which should be formed at the initial stage of the growth. This is because the equilibrium vapor pressure of Cd is largely higher than that of Te₂ at the growth temperature, and the desorption rate of Cd atoms is much higher than that of and Te₂ molecules. The amorphous interfacial layer should be favorable for the formation of nano-crystalline CdZnTe film.     

The growth and the interfacial layer of CdZnTe nano-crystalline films by vacuum evaporation

Nano-crystalline CdZnTe films were fabricated by thermal vacuum evaporation. The structure and surface morphology of the CdZnTe films were determined by XRD and SEM. The CdZnTe films were poly-crystalline with preferential (111) orientation. The CdZnTe films exhibited a typical particle size of 15 nm and a blue shift in the absorption with an effective band gap of 2.26 eV. An amorphous Te interfacial layer with thickness of 3 nm was observed with high resolution transmission electron microscopy, which should be formed at the initial stage of the growth. This is because the equilibrium vapor pressure of Cd is largely higher than that of Te₂ at the growth temperature, and the desorption rate of Cd atoms is much higher than that of and Te₂ molecules. The amorphous interfacial layer should be favorable for the formation of nano-crystalline CdZnTe film.     

溅射功率对CdZnTe薄膜成分和结构的影响

采用Cd0.9Zn0.1Te晶体作为溅射靶在玻璃衬底上利用磁控溅射法制备出CdZnTe薄膜,研究了溅射功率对CdZnTe薄膜的成分、结构特性的影响。制备的CdZnTe薄膜是具有闪锌矿结构的多晶薄膜,沿（111）择优取向。随着溅射功率的增大,薄膜沉积速率增大,薄膜结晶质量提高。采用晶体靶Cd0.9Zn0.1Te溅射CdZnTe薄膜时,无论是在何种功率下CdZnTe薄膜中的Cd原子成分均高于Te原子成分,Cd原子表现为择优溅射原子。     

CdGeAs_2晶体的蚀坑形貌观察

采用金相显微镜和扫描电镜观察了垂直布里奇曼法生长的新型红外非线性光学晶体砷锗镉(CdGeAs2)单晶片(101)面蚀坑形貌。选择机械研磨、物理抛光及质量分数为3%溴甲醇在室温下对晶片化学抛光1min左右的工艺,获得了表面平整无划痕的CdGeAs2晶片。报道了一种新的CGA晶体择优腐蚀剂,其组成为HCl∶HNO3∶H2O=1∶1∶1(体积比),室温下腐蚀晶片30s左右后在金相显微镜和扫描电镜下观察到CdGeAs2晶体(101)晶面的腐蚀坑,蚀坑形貌呈取向一致的等腰三角形,边界清晰,具有立体感,并从理论上分析讨论了(101)面三角形蚀坑的形成原因。     

Thermal decomposition of InP surfaces: volatile component loss, morphological changes, and pattern formation

The thermal decomposition of bulk and heteroepitaxial InP surfaces is studied by in-situ scanning electron microscopy combined with mass spectrometry and atomic force microscopy. Correlation is established between the evaporation of phosphorous and the formation of thermal etch pits. The formation of the pattern that the In droplets constitute is analysed using fractal mathematics. Only negligible roughening is induced by annealing outside the pits.     

Heat treatment of diamond grains for bonding strength improvement

The heat treatment of synthetic cubo-octahedral diamond grains to produce tight bonding by making their surface rough is reported. In order to obtain a rough surface, a thermal etching technique at atmospheric pressure in air at 700 to 1100°C is applied. The shape, surface features and surface area are investigated, then in order to examine the effect of the roughened diamond surface on bonding strength, peeling and bending tests were carried out. The results obtained showed that: rough surfaces may be obtained by thermal etching at atmospheric pressure in air; on etching at 700 to 1000°C, the etch rate of the {111} face is higher than that of the {100} face, and in particular, diamonds etched at 700 to 1000°C have a hollow {111} face; the surface area of one grain can be increased by etching — on etching at 900°C for 15 min, surfaces become fully covered with clear etch pits and the surface area shows maximum value; the surface area seems to have an influence on bonding strength, and when diamond grains are bonded with phenol resin or electroless plating nickel, bonding strength improves by about 10%.     

Characterization of etch pit formation via the Everson-etching method on CdZnTe crystal surfaces from the bulk to the nanoscale

A combination of atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy, and mass spectrometry was employed to study CdZnTe crystal surface and used etchant solution following exposure of the CdZnTe crystal to the Everson etch solution. We discuss the results of these studies in relationship to the initial surface preparation methods, the performance of the crystals as radiation spectrometers, the observed etch pit densities, and the chemical mechanism of surface etching. Our results show that the surface features that are exposed to etchants result from interactions with the chemical components of the etchants as well as pre-existing mechanical polishing.     

Step motion of the growth surface in the initial stage of semiconductor film epitaxy with ion sputtering

The development of relief inhomogeneity of the surrounding surface near (111)Si by thermal heating in an UHV oil pumped and gettered system has been studied. The essential features of the surface relief are discussed in connection with pre-epitaxial preparation of the substrate surface used for growing Si films by sputtering. The initial growth stage of layers 25, 65, 240 and 480 Å thick at a substrate temperature of 840°C is illustrated.It is shown that the formation of growth macrosteps is due to a complex system of sites for adatoms on the original Si surface because of the presence of etch micropits and silicon carbide particles. The conditions for formation of a crystallographic system of microsteps (with height of atomic order) on Si surfaces in the absence of etch pits and silicon carbide particles are analysed. The adsorption parameters and surface diffusion coefficient of adatoms are estimated.     

坩埚中自由空间量对Bridgman法生长的CdZnTe晶体缺陷的影响

采用Bridgman法生长CdZnTe晶体.分别采用红外透过显微镜和正电子湮灭寿命谱仪研究了CdZnTe晶体中的Te夹杂相、Cd空位等缺陷与坩埚中的自由空间量大小的关系. 结果表明: 随着坩埚自由空间量的减小, 晶体中Te夹杂相密度从6.67×10⁴/cm²降低到2.36×10³/cm², 且Te夹杂相尺寸减小; 晶体的正电子平均寿命值随着坩埚自由空间量的减小从325.4 ps降低到323.4 ps, 表明晶体的Cd空位浓度及微结构缺陷减少; 晶体的红外透过率和电阻率则随着坩埚自由空间量的减小大幅提高, 进一步表明坩埚中自由空间量的减小能够有效地降低晶体中的缺陷浓度.     

温度梯度溶液生长法制备x=0.2的Cd1-xZnxTe晶体及性能研究

利用温度梯度溶液生长法(TGSG)在较低生长温度下制备了掺Al和掺In的x=0.2的Cd1-xZnxTe晶体,晶体起始生长温度约为1223K,温度梯度为20～30K/cm,坩埚的下降速度为1mm/h。采用红外显微镜、傅里叶红外光谱仪、扫描电镜能谱仪(SEM/EDS)和I-V测试分别研究了晶体中的Te夹杂相、红外透过率、Zn组分分布和电阻率。结果显示CdZnTe晶锭初始生长区、稳定生长区的Te夹杂相密度分别为8.3×103、9.2×103/cm-2,比垂直布里奇曼法生长的晶体低约1个数量级,红外透过率分别为61%、60%。Al掺杂CdZnTe晶体的电阻率为1.05×106Ω.cm,而In掺杂CdZnTe晶体的电阻率为7.85×109Ω.cm。晶锭初始生长区和稳定生长区的Zn组分径向分布均匀。     

Production of double-layer epitaxial structures based on the solid solution of the Cd-Hg-Te system using a combination of LPE and MOCVD techniques

The technique of growing CdTe and Cd _x Hg_{1 ? x} Te layers utilizing chemical metalloorganic compound vapor deposition (MOCVD) onto a CdZnTe(111) substrate with a preliminarily deposited Cd _y Hg_{1 ? y} Te layer using liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) has been developed. No noticeable changes in the electrophysical parameters and composition of the Cd _y Hg_{1 ? y} Te layer take place under such conditions during MOCVD deposition.     

Dislocation etch pits in zinc selenide

It is shown that triangular etch pits are produced at the points of emergence of dislocation lines on the (111) zinc faces of single crystals of zinc selenide. Conical etch pits can be produced on the (¯1¯1¯1) selenium faces with a solution of one part HCl to three parts HNO₃. Etch patterns produced following indentation confirm the identity of the etch pits. Triangular etch figures which are associated with stacking fault tetrahedra have also been observed.     

Annealing High Resistivity CdZnTe Wafers under Controlled Cd/Zn Partial Pressures

In order to improve the performances of CdZnTe 7-ray detector, it is key issue to get the crystal with high quality. Equilibrium partial pressures, pCd and pZn, over Cd1-xZnx melt were estimated based on thermodynamic relationship and then Cd0.9Zn0.1Te wafers were annealed under controlled Cd/Zn partial pressures provided by Cd1-xZnx alloy reservoir. The experimental results show that when CdZnTe wafers are annealed under the equilibrium partial pressures provided by Cd0.99Zn0.01 alloy reservoir for 5 days or more at 1073 K, the resistivity of the wafer can be raised by 6 times and IR transmittance raised by 10% or more, the size and density of Te precipitates are greatly reduced. Moreover, losing of Zn from the surface can be avoided, which Ieads to improvement of the Zn radial distribution. In addition, the relationship between the electrical performances of the wafers and different controlled pressures is also discussed.     

提拉法Tm:YAG晶体的生长缺陷研究

采用提拉法(CZ)生长了质量优异的Tm:YAG晶体.部分晶片在1000℃的空气气氛中退火25h.借助光学显微镜、扫描电子显微镜(SEM),结合化学腐蚀法,对Tm:YAG晶体退火前后(111)面的缺陷特征进行了研究. Tm:YAG晶体(111)面的位错腐蚀坑呈三角形. 在偏光显微镜下观察了退火前后Tm:YAG晶体(111)面的应力双折射.同时应用高分辨X射线衍射法测定了晶体的完整性.实验结果表明,长时间空气气氛下高温退火有效降低了晶体中总的位错密度,提高了晶体质量.     

真空蒸发沉积CdZnTe纳米薄膜的结构与形貌

采用真空蒸发沉积技术在ITO玻璃上制备得到CdZnTe纳米晶薄膜,并利用台阶仪、X射线能谱仪(EDS)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)和原子力显微镜(AFM)研究了CdZnTe薄膜厚度、成分、结构和形貌特征。实验结果表明,薄膜在(111)面表现出明显的择优生长特性。在薄膜生长初期,纳米薄膜中存在一定程度的非晶态富集Te,但随着沉积时间延长,薄膜成分向化学计量比逼近,结构也向闪锌矿CdZnTe转变。薄膜表面形貌平整,粗糙度Ra约为2～5nm。随着沉积时间的延长,薄膜形貌由晶粒堆砌状向多晶层片连接状转变。在沉积时间分别为15、30和45min时,薄膜的厚度依次分别约为100、300和500nm,而薄膜的晶粒平均尺寸依次分别为43.15、30.81和71.94nm。     

Studies on growth mechanism of HgCdTe epilayer on Si grown by HWE

In this paper, the mechanism of Hg_1−xCd_xTe/Si heterojunction grown by HWE (Hot Well Epitaxy) was studied. Opitical characterizations were shown with FTIR, the composition x = 0.39 was deduced by using MIR transmittance, the absorbing peak at 319.4 cm⁻¹ was measured by FIR transmittance, 319.4 cm⁻¹ confirmed the existence of Si–Te bond of at Si/HgCdTe interfacial layer. The I-V characteristics at both room temperature and 77 K of HgCdTe (n-type)/Si (p-type) heterojunction show that the good p-n heterojunction properties was obtained by using HWE. XRD study confirmed the formation of (111) oriented HgCdTe on (211) Si. Morphology of a cross section observed using EPMA indicates the columnar growth of HgCdTe. An analysis of interfcial layer by EPMA indicated presence of three layers composed of Si + Te, Si + Te + Hg and Si + Te + Cd + Hg. Among them, the most important one is the first layer. The problem of lattice mismatch and the difference of thermal expansion coefficient between Si and CdTe or HgTe may be improved by formation of Si–Te stable chemical bond through bybridization orbital bonding between Si and Te. The second and third layers are formed by evaporation-interdiffusion. Formation of the whole interfacial layer provides the appetency for the growth of (111) Hg_1−xCd_xTe epilayer on (211) Si substrate.     

Three-dimensional observation of defects in nitrogen-doped 6H-SiC crystals using a laser scanning confocal microscope

Different defective structures of nitrogen-doped 6H-SiC single crystals were examined using a combination of laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and KOH–K₂CO₃ etching. The form, depth and size of the defects in etched silicon carbide (SiC) crystals were observed by LSCM. Using these 3D LSCM images, defective structures varying in the growth direction were observed from a side view for the first time. To study the size, depth and form of defect etch pits in detail, we observed the defect etch pits configuration in some volumes through taking 3D LSCM pictures. Information on defects obtained using this approach will be very helpful for investigation of MP and SD formation mechanism in conducting SiC substrates, as well as the observation of polytype stability in nitrogen-doped SiC crystals.     

Preferential etching by flowing oxygen on the {100} surfaces of HPHT single-crystal diamond

Application of diamond is determined by its oxidation behaviour in some measure. Oxidation process of single-crystal diamond prepared under high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) has been studied by the thermal analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectrometer. The result of a simultaneous thermal analysis indicates that single-crystal diamond is oxidized at ~ 818°C at a heating rate of 5°C/min in the flowing oxygen. Based on the data of the thermal analysis at different heating rates, the activation energy is calculated by the Kissinger method. A weight loss rate increases with the rising heat treatment temperature from 600 to 800°C. After the oxidation at 800°C, etch pits emerge on the {100} surfaces of single-crystal diamond, while the {111} surfaces are smooth. Shapes of the etch pits on the {100} surfaces are inverted pyramidal hollows, with edges direction parallel to the <110> direction.     

Evidence of screw dislocations on (002) cleavages of lithium carbonate single crystals

Well-defined triangular etch pits are produced on etching (002) cleavages of lithium carbonate single crystals with 2% citric acid. On etching of cleavage face and matched face these pits nucleate at the intersection sites of dislocations with the cleavage face. On successive etching of a cleavage face, shallow irregular arrays of pits do not enlarge in size as compared to other isolated pits on the same face. These irregular arrays of pits have reasonable correspondence on an etched match face, suggesting they form at dislocation sites.     

Dislocation etch pits and growth of arsenic-antimony single crystals

Single crystals of an arsenic-antimony solid solution have been grown at the minimum melting point (612‡C) composition (25.5 at.% arsenic) where the solidus and liquidus touch. Pyramidal etch pits produced on (111) cleavage faces mark the sites of emergence of dislocations; dislocation densities are low, ranging between 10³ and 10⁵ per cm². The relationship between an unambiguous, right handed axial set and etch pit orientation on the (111) surface is established. The permissible Burgers vectors and dislocation reactions are detailed and are related to the observed etch pit types. In general, the results obtained also apply to the A7 structure elements themselves and amend previous findings of the crystallographic relationships between dislocation directions and etch pits.