Microstructural and optical characterization of CdTe(211)B/ZnTe/Si(211) grown by molecular beam epitaxy

CdTe layers have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on 3 inch nominal Si(211) under various conditions to study the effect of growth parameters on the structural quality. The microstructure of several samples was investigated by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The orientation of the CdTe layers was affected strongly by the ZnTe buffer deposition temperature. Both single domain CdTe(133)B and CdTe(211)B were obtained by selective growth of ZnTe buffer layers at different temperatures. We demonstrated that thin ZnTe buffer layers (<2 nm) are sufficient to maintain the (211) orientation. CdTe deposited at ∼300°C grows with its normal lattice parameter from the onset of growth, demonstrating the effective strain accommodation of the buffer layer. The low tilt angle (<1°) between CdTe[211] and Si[211] indicates that high miscut Si(211) substrates are unnecessary. From low temperature photoluminescence, it is shown that Cd-substituted Li is the main residual impurity in the CdTe layer. In addition, deep emission bands are attributed to the presence of As_Te and Ag_Cd acceptors. There is no evidence that copper plays a role in the impurity contamination of the samples.     

Dual-band infrared detectors made on high-quality HgCdTe epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on CdZnTe or CdTe/Ge substrates

In this paper, we present all the successive steps for realizing dual-band infrared detectors operating in the mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) band. High crystalline quality HgCdTe multilayer stacks have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on CdZnTe and CdTe/Ge substrates. Material characterization in the light of high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) results and dislocation density measurements are exposed in detail. These characterizations show some striking differences between structures grown on the two kinds of substrates. Device processing and readout circuit for 128×128 focal-plane array (FPA) fabrication are described. The electro-optical characteristics of the devices show that devices grown on Ge match those grown on CdZnTe substrates in terms of responsivity, noise measurements, and operability.     

MBE Growth of HgCdTe on Large-Area Si and CdZnTe Wafers for SWIR,MWIR and LWIR Detection

Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of HgCdTe on large-size Si (211) and CdZnTe (211)B substrates is critical to meet the demands of extremely uniform and highly functional third-generation infrared (IR) focal-panel arrays (FPAs). We have described here the importance of wafer maps of HgCdTe thickness, composition, and the macrodefects across the wafer not only to qualify material properties against design specifications but also to diagnose and classify the MBE-growth-related issues on large-area wafers. The paper presents HgCdTe growth with exceptionally uniform composition and thickness and record low macrodefect density on large Si wafers up to 6-in in diameter for the detection of short-wave (SW), mid-wave (MW), and long-wave (LW) IR radiation. We have also proposed a cost-effective approach to use the growth of HgCdTe on low-cost Si substrates to isolate the growth- and substrate-related problems that one occasionally comes across with the CdZnTe substrates and tune the growth parameters such as growth rate, cutoff wavelength (λ _cutoff) and doping parameters before proceeding with the growth on costly large-area CdZnTe substrates. In this way, we demonstrated HgCdTe growth on large CdZnTe substrates of size 7 cm × 7 cm with excellent uniformity and low macrodefect density. Received December 7, 2007; accepted February 25, 2008     

MBE growth of HgCdTe on silicon substrates for large-area infrared focal plane arrays: A review of recent progress

We review the rapid progress that has been made during the past three years in the heteroepitaxial growth of HgCdTe infrared detector device structures on Si substrates by molecular-beam epitaxy. The evolution of this technology has enabled the fabrication of high performance, large-area HgCdTe infrared focal-plane arrays on Si substrates. A key element of this heteroepitaxial approach has been development of high quality CdTe buffer layers deposited on Si(112) substrates. We review the solutions developed by several groups to address the difficulties associated with the CdTe/Si(112) heteroepitaxial system, including control of crystallographic orientation and minimization of defects such as twins and threading dislocations. The material quality of HgCdTe/Si and the performance of HgCdTe detector structures grown on CdTe/Si(112) composite substrates is reviewed. Finally, we discuss some of the challenges related to composition uniformity and defect generation encountered with scaling the MBE growth process for HgCdTe to large-area Si substrates.     

Growth of high quality CdTe on Si substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

We have systematically studied the growth of CdTe (lll)B on Si(001)with different atomic step structures, defined uniquely by miscut tilt angle and direction. X-ray double crystal rocking curve (DCRC) analysis has been used to evaluate the crystalline quality and twin content of the films. High-resolution electron microscopy has been used to examine the CdTe(lll)B/Si(001) interface and to follow the microstructural evolution as a function of distance from the interface. Our results show that the formation of double domains and twins is very sensitive to the tilt parameters. When growth conditions are optimized, twins are not observed at distances greater than about 2.5 microns from the substrate surface. The best quality films exhibit a DCRC FWHM of 60 arc sec, for a film thickness of 17 μm, the lowest value ever reported for heteroepitaxial growth of CdTe on Si or GaAs. In efforts to improve the nucleation process, precursors such as Te and As have been used, and we have shown that they improve the stability of the heterointerface.     

分子束外延HgCdTe/CdZnTe(211)B表面缺陷研究

HgCdTe材料的表面缺陷是造成探测器性能下降的主要原因之一。采用聚焦离子束（Focused Ion Beam, FIB）、扫描电子显微镜（Scanning Electron Microscope, SEM）和能量色散X射线光谱仪（Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer, EDX）研究了碲锌镉（CdZnTe)基HgCdTe外延层的表面缺陷。通过分析不同类型缺陷形成的原因,确定缺陷起源于HgCdTe材料生长过程。缺陷的形状与生长条件关系密切。凹坑及火山口状缺陷与Hg缺乏/稍高生长温度、分子束源坩埚中材料形状变化造成的不稳定束流有关。金刚石状缺陷和火山口状/金刚石状复合缺陷的产生与Hg/Te高束流比、低生长温度相关。在5 cm×5 cm大小的CdZnTe(211)B衬底表面上生长出了组分为0.216、厚度约为6.06~7 μm的高质量HgCdTe外延层。同时还建立了缺陷类型与HgCdTe薄膜生长工艺的关系。该研究对于制备高质量HgCdTe/CdZnTe外延层具有参考意义。     

Progress in the Molecular Beam Epitaxy of HgCdTe on Large-Area Si and CdZnTe Substrates

This paper presents the progress in the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) growth of HgCdTe on large-area Si and CdZnTe substrates at Raytheon Vision Systems. We report a very high-quality HgCdTe growth, for the first time, on an 8 cm × 8 cm CdZnTe substrate. This paper also describes the excellent HgCdTe growth repeatability on multiple 7 cm × 7 cm CdZnTe substrates. In order to study the percentage wafer area yield and its consistency from run to run, small lots of dual-band long-wave infrared/long-wave infrared triple-layer heterojunction (TLHJ) layers on 5 cm × 5 cm CdZnTe substrates and single-color double-layer heterojunction (DLHJ) layers on 6-inch Si substrates were grown and tested for cutoff wavelength uniformity and micro- and macrovoid defect density and uniformity. The results show that the entire lot of 12 DLHJ-HgCdTe layers on 6-inch Si wafers meet the testing criterion of cutoff wavelength within the range 4.76 ± 0.1 μm at 130 K and micro- and macrovoid defect density of ≤50 cm⁻² and 5 cm⁻², respectively. Likewise, five out of six dual-band TLHJ-HgCdTe layers on 5 cm × 5 cm CdZnTe substrates meet the testing criterion of cutoff wavelength within the range 6.3 ± 0.1 μm at 300 K and micro- and macrovoid defect density of ≤2000 cm⁻² and 500 cm⁻², respectively, on the entire wafer area. Overall we have found that scaling our HgCdTe MBE process to a 10-inch MBE system has provided significant benefits in terms of both wafer uniformity and quality.     

Direct growth of CdZnTe/Si substrates for large-area HgCdTe infrared focal plane arrays

Direct epitaxial growth of high-quality 100lCdZnTe on 3 inch diameter vicinal {100}Si substrates has been achieved using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE); a ZnTe initial layer was used to maintain the {100} Si substrate orientation. The properties of these substrates and associated HgCdTe layers grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) and subsequently processed long wavelength infrared (LWIR) detectors were compared directly with our related efforts using CdZnTe/ GaAs/Si substrates grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The MBE-grown CdZnTe layers are highly specular and have both excellent thickness and compositional uniformity. The x-ray full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the MBE-grown CdZnTe/Si increases with composition, which is a characteristic of CdZnTe grown by vapor phase epitaxy, and is essentially equivalent to our results obtained on CdZnTe/GaAs/Si. As we have previously observed, the x-ray FWHM of LPE-grown HgCdTe decreases, particularly for CdZnTe compositions near the lattice matching condition to HgCdTe; so far the best value we have achieved is 54 arc-s. Using these MBE-grown substrates, we have fabricated the first high-performance LWIR HgCdTe detectors and 256 x 256 arrays using substrates consisting of CdZnTe grown directly on Si without the use of an intermediate GaAs buffer layer. We find first that there is no significant difference between arrays fabricated on either CdZnTe/Si or CdZnTe/GaAs/Si and second that the results on these Si-based substrates are comparable with results on bulk CdZnTe substrates at 78K. Further improvements in detector performance on Si-based substrates require a decrease in the dislocation density.     

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of high-quality HgCdTe LWIR layers on polished and repolished CdZnTe substrates

We report here molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) layers grown on polished and repolished substrates that showed state-of-the-art optical, structural, and electrical characteristics. Many polishing machines currently available do not take into account the soft semiconductor materials, CdZnTe (CZT) being one. Therefore, a polishing jig was custom designed and engineered to take in account certain physical parameters (pressure, substrate rotational frequency, drip rate of solution onto the polishing pad, and polishing pad rotational velocity). The control over these parameters increased the quality, uniformity, and the reproducibility of each polish. EPIR also investigated several bromine containing solutions used for polishing CZT. The concentration of bromine, as well as the mechanical parameters, was varied in order to determine the optimal conditions for polishing CZT.     

Improving material characteristics and reproducibility of MBE HgCdTe

This paper describes our progress to improve the material quality, reproducibility, and flexibility of molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) growth of HgCdTe. Data, statistics, and yields according to defined screen criteria are presented for n-type layer carrier concentration and mobility, void defect density, and dislocation density for more than 100 layers. Minority carrier lifetime data are also presented. Continued improvements in impurity reductiont have allowed us to achieve, for the first time, reproducible, low n-type carrier concentration in the mid-10¹⁴ cnr⁻³ range with high electron mobility. Data are presented that show that low dislocation density films are obtained for growth on CdZnTe substrates with a wide range of Zn concentration. Results are presented from a nine-growth run first pass success demonstration run to further assess material quality reproducibility and flexibility of wavelength band tuning. These results demonstrate the promising potential of MBE growth for flexible manufacturing of HgCdTe for infrared focal plane arrays.     

Si基CdTe/HgCdTe分子束外延材料的位错抑制

基于GaAs/Si材料中位错的运动反应理论,修正获得CdTe/Si和HgCdTe/Si外延材料中的位错运动反应模型.采用快速退火方法对Si基HgCdTe外延材料进行位错抑制实验研究,实验结果与理论曲线基本吻合,从理论角度解释了不同高温热处理条件对材料体内位错的抑制作用.对于厚度为4～10μnn的CdTe/Si进行500...     

High-quality large-area MBE HgCdTe/Si

HgCdTe offers significant advantages over other similar semiconductors, which has made it the most widely utilized variable-gap material in infrared (IR) focal plane array (FPA) technology. HgCdTe hybrid FPAs consisting of two-dimensional detector arrays that are hybridized to Si readout circuits (ROIC) are the dominant technology for second-generation infrared systems. However, one of the main limitations of the HgCdTe materials system has been the size of lattice-matched bulk CdZnTe substrates, used for epitaxially grown HgCdTe, which have been limited to 30 cm² in production. This size limitation does not adequately support the increasing demand for larger FPA formats which now require sizes up to 2048×2048, and only a single die can be printed per wafer. Heteroepitaxial Si-based substrates offer a cost-effective technology that can be scaled to large wafer sizes and further offer a thermal-expansion-matched hybrid structure that is suitable for large format FPAs. This paper presents data on molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown HgCdTe/Si wafers with much improved materials characteristics than previously reported. We will present data on 4- and 6-in diameter HgCdTe both with extremely uniform composition and extremely low defects. Large-diameter HgCdTe/Si with nearly perfect compositional uniformity and ultra low defect density is essential for meeting the demanding specifications of large format FPAs.     

HgCdTe/Si materials for long wavelength infrared detectors

The heteroepitaxial growth of HgCdTe on large-area Si substrates is an enabling technology leading to the production of low-cost, large-format infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs). This approach will allow HgCdTe FPA technology to be scaled beyond the limitations of bulk CdZnTe substrates. We have already achieved excellent mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) and short wavelength infrared (SWIR) detector and FPA results using HgCdTe grown on 4-in. Si substrates using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), and this work was focused on extending these results into the long wavelength infrared (LWIR) spectral regime. A series of nine p-on-n LWIR HgCdTe double-layer heterojunction (DLHJ) detector structures were grown on 4-in. Si substrates. The HgCdTe composition uniformity was very good over the entire 4-in. wafer with a typical maximum nonuniformity of 2.2% at the very edge of the wafer; run-to-run composition reproducibility, realized with real-time feedback control using spectroscopic ellipsometry, was also very good. Both secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and Hall-effect measurements showed well-behaved doping and majority carrier properties, respectively. Preliminary detector results were promising for this initial work and good broad-band spectral response was demonstrated; 61% quantum efficiency was measured, which is very good compared to a maximum allowed value of 70% for a non-antireflection-coated Si surface. The R₀A products for HgCdTe/Si detectors in the 9.6-μm and 12-μm cutoff range were at least one order of magnitude below typical results for detectors fabricated on bulk CdZnTe substrates. This lower performance was attributed to an elevated dislocation density, which is in the mid-10⁶ cm⁻² range. The dislocation density in HgCdTe/Si needs to be reduced to <10⁶ cm⁻² to make high-performance LWIR detectors, and multiple approaches are being tried across the infrared community to achieve this result because the technological payoff is significant.     

MBE growth of HgCdTe on silicon substrates for large format MWIR focal plane arrays

HgCdTe p-on-n double layer heterojunctions (DLHJs) for mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detector applications have been grown on 100 mm (4 inch) diameter (211) silicon substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The structural quality of these films is excellent, as demonstrated by x-ray rocking curves with full widths at half maximum (FWHMs) of 80–100 arcsec, and etch pit densities from 1 10⁶ to 7 10⁶ cm⁻². Morphological defect densities for these layers are generally less than 1000 cm⁻². Improving Hg flux coverage of the wafer during growth can reduce void defects near the edges of the wafers. Improved tellurium source designs have resulted in better temporal flux stability and a reduction of the center to edge x-value variation from 9% to only 2%. Photovoltaic MWIR detectors have been fabricated from some of these 100mm wafers, and the devices show performance at 140 K which is comparable to other MWIR detectors grown on bulk CdZnTe substrates by MBE and by liquid phase epitaxy.     

HgCdTe heteroepitaxy on three-inch (112) CdZnTe/Si: Ellipsometric control of substrate temperature

The technique of spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) has been utilized to monitor in real-time and precisely control the surface temperature of Hg_1−xCd_xTe during molecular beam epitaxy. Due to the temperature dependence of the Hg sticking coefficient under Hg-deficient growth conditions, the near-surface composition of an epilayer is extremely sensitive to surface temperature. SE data were acquired in real time and modeled using a previously established library of dielectric functions of Hg_1−xCd_xTe as a function of composition. Utilizing SE-generated compositional profiles as a guide, substrate heating power was adjusted in such a way as to minimize composition transients. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique, we have used SE to control the temperature of HgCdTe epilayer surfaces during deposition on three-inch (211)CdZnTe/ZnTe/Si composite substrates mounted on indium free holders.     

Structure of CdTe(111)B grown by MBE on misoriented Si(001)

Single domain CdTe(111)B has been grown on Si(001) substrates tilted 1^o 2^o, and 4^o toward [110]. All the layers started with a double-domain structure, then a transition from a double- to a single-domain was observed by reflection high energy electron diffraction. A microscopic picture of this transition is presented. We also measured the tilt between CdTe(111)B and Si(001). The result does not follow the tilt predicted by the currently existing model. A new model of the microscopic mechanism of CdTe(111)B growth is presented. New evidence indicates that optimizing the tilt of the substrate surface is very crucial in improving the CdTe(111)B crystal quality.     

低温缓冲层对MBE生长ZnTe材料性能的改善

研究了低温缓冲层对在GaAs(001)衬底上用分子束外延(MBE)生长ZnTe薄膜晶体质量的影响。发现插入低温缓冲层后ZnTe的结晶质量、表面形貌和发光质量都得到了显著的提高,双晶X射线摇摆曲线(DCXRC)的ZnTe(004)衍射峰半峰宽(FWHM)从529 arcsec减小到421 arcsec,表面均方根(RMS)粗糙度从6.05 nm下降到3.93 nm。而作为对比,插入高温缓冲层并不能对ZnTe薄膜的质量起到改善作用。基本上实现了优化工艺的目标并为研制ZnTe基光电器件微结构材料奠定了很好的实验基础。     

Synchrotron X-Ray photoconductor detector arrays made on MBE grown CdTe

We have been fabricating x-ray photoconductor linear array detectors using molecular beam epitaxially (MBE) grown (lll)B undoped CdTe layers on (100) Si substrates. A novel technique was developed to remove the Si and to mount the fragile MBE grown CdTe layers onto insulating ceramic substrates. 256 channel linear photoconductor array devices were fabricated on the resulting CdTe layers. The resistivity of MBE (lll)B CdTe was high (>108 \cm) enough to utilize the material for low energy (8 ~ 25 keV) x-ray detectors. The stability of the detectors are satisfactory, and they were tested at room temperature routinely for over a year. The performance of the photoconductor was greatly improved when the detector was cooled to 230K. Due to its reduced dark current at low temperatures, the dynamic range of the detector response increased to nearly four decades at 230K.     

Morphological defects of molecular beam epitaxy-grown CdTe and CdSeTe on Si

For the first time, focused ion beam milling, secondary electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were used to examine in depth morphological defects during epitaxial growth of CdTe and CdSeTe on Si. Contrary to the literature regarding the formation of morphological defects at the epi/substrate interface, the present defects appear to originate from either the CdTe/CdSeTe interface or 3–4 μm above the CdTe/Si interface where the growth was interrupted and the substrate temperature was temporarily raised. This suggests a correlation between defect nucleation and either shutter movement or growth interruption.     

Si基大面积碲镉汞分子束外延研究

文章报道了Si基碲镉汞分子束外延(MBE)的最新研究进展。尝试用晶向偏角降低高界面应变能的方法,摸索大失配体系中位错的抑制途径,寻找位错密度与双晶半峰宽的对应关系,基本建立了外延材料晶体质量无损检测评价标准,并对外延工艺进行指导。通过上述研究,15~20μm Si基CdTe复合材料双晶半峰宽最好结果为54arcsec,对应位错密度(EPD)小于2×106/cm2,与相同厚度的GaAs/CdTe(211)双晶水平相当,达到或优于国际最好结果。获得的3 in 10μm Si基HgCdTe材料双晶半峰宽最好结果为51arcsec,目前Si基HgCdTe材料已经初步应用于焦平面中波320×240器件制备。