Degradation of ZnSe/ZnTe multiquantum well contacts to p-ZnSe

The work presented in this paper studied the degradation of ZnTe/ZnSe multiquantum well contacts to p-ZnSe under high current loading (1000 to 1500 A/cm²). During degradation, localized heating (up to 200°C > the bulk substrate and heat sink) was observed to occur at the point were electrical power was supplied. Auger data from degraded samples indicated that due to the localized heating, Zn and Te from the ZnTe layers and Zn from the ZnSe layer diffused through the Au metallization to the samples surface. In addition, thermal stress from the localized heating generated micro-cracks in the ZnSe which acted as high diffusivity paths for impurities. Rectangular defects were also found to form in the degraded region. These defects were oriented to the micro-cracks and had similar geometries as dislocation patches (dark line defects) which have been reported to form in the quantum well region of degraded ZnSe based laser devices. The similarities between the rectangular defects and dark line defects suggest the formation of similar dislocation patches in the quantum well region of the multiquantum well contacts.