Characterization of Cadmium-Zinc Telluride Crystals Grown by 'Contactless' PVT Using Synchrotron White Beam Topography

Crystals of Cd(1-x)Zn(x)Te grown by Physical Vapor Transport (PVT) using self-seeding 'contactless' techniques were characterized using synchrotron radiation (reflection, transmission, and Laue back-reflection X-ray topography). Crystals of low (x = 0.04) and high (up to x approx. = 0.4) ZnTe content were investigated. Twins and defects such as dislocations, precipitates, and slip bands were identified. Extensive inhomogeneous strains present in some samples were found to be generated by interaction (sticking) with the pedestal and by composition gradients in the crystals. Large (up to about 5 mm) oval strain fields were observed around some Te precipitates. Low angle grain boundaries were found only in higher ZnTe content (x greater than or equal to 0.2) samples

The improvement of Mo/4H-SiC Schottky diodes via a P2O5 surface passivation treatment

Molybdenum (Mo)/4H-silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky barrier diodes have been fabricated with a phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) surface passivation treatment performed on the SiC surface prior to metallization. Compared to the untreated diodes, the P2O5-treated diodes were found to have a lower Schottky barrier height by 0.11 eV and a lower leakage current by two to three orders of magnitude. Physical characterization of the P2O5-treated Mo/SiC interfaces revealed that there are two primary causes for the improvement in electrical performance. First, transmission electron microscopy imaging showed that nanopits filled with silicon dioxide had formed at the surface after the P2O5 treatment that terminates potential leakage paths. Second, secondary ion mass spectroscopy revealed a high concentration of phosphorus atoms near the interface. While only a fraction of these are active, a small increase in doping at the interface is responsible for the reduction in barrier height. Comparisons were made between the P2O5 pretreatment and oxygen (O2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) pretreatments that do not form the same nanopits and do not reduce leakage current. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that SiC beneath the deposited P2O5 oxide retains a Si-rich interface unlike the N2O and O2 treatments that consume SiC and trap carbon at the interface. Finally, after annealing, the Mo/SiC interface forms almost no silicide, leaving the enhancement to the subsurface in place, explaining why the P2O5 treatment has had no effect on nickel- or titanium-SiC contacts

Material quality characterization of CdZnTe substrates for HgCdTe epitaxy

Cd1-xZnxTe (CZT) substrates were studied to investigate their bulk and surface properties. Imperfections in CZT substrates affect the quality of Hg1-xCdxTe (MCT) epilayers deposited on them and play a role in limiting the performance of infrared (IR) focal plane arrays. CZT wafers were studied to investigate their bulk and surface properties. Transmission and surface x-ray diffraction techniques, utilizing both a conventional closed-tube x-ray source as well as a synchrotron radiation source, and IR transmission microspectroscopy, were used for bulk and surface investigation. Synchrotron radiation offers the capability to combine good spatial resolution and shorter exposure times than conventional x-ray sources, which allows for high-resolution mapping of relatively large areas in an acceptable amount of time. Information on the location of grain boundaries and precipitates was also obtained. The ultimate goal of this work is to understand the defects in CZT substrates and their effects on the performance and uniformity of MCT epilayers and then to apply this understanding to produce better infrared detectors

An effect of the networks of the subgrain boundaries on spectral responses of thick CdZnTe detectors

CdZnTe (CZT) crystals used for nuclear-radiation detectors often contain high concentrations of subgrain boundaries and networks of poligonized dislocations that can significantly degrade the performance of semiconductor devices. These defects exist in all commercial CZT materials, regardless of their growth techniques and their vendor. We describe our new results from examining such detectors using IR transmission microscopy and white X-ray beam diffraction topography. We emphasize the roles on the devices performances of networks of subgrain boundaries with low dislocation densities, such as poligonized dislocations and mosaic structures. Specifically, we evaluated their effects on the gamma-ray responses of thick, >10 mm, CZT detectors. Our findings set the lower limit on the energy resolution of CZT detectors containing dense networks of subgrain boundaries, and walls of dislocations

Structural defects in Nd-doped yttrium vanadate single crystals

No abstract available

Structural defects in Nd-doped yttrium vanadate single crystals

No abstract available

Crystal Growth and Characterization of CdTe Grown by Vertical Gradient Freeze

In this study, crystals of CdTe were grown from melts by the unseeded vertical gradient freeze method. The quality of grown crystal were studied by various characterization techniques including Synchrotron White Beam X-ray Topography (SWBXT), chemical analysis by glow discharge mass spectroscopy (GDMS), low temperature photoluminescence (PL), and Hall measurements. The SWBXT images from various angles show nearly strain-free grains, grains with inhomogeneous strains, as well as twinning nucleated in the shoulder region of the boule. The GDMS chemical analysis shows the contamination of Ga at a level of 3900 ppb, atomic. The low temperature PL measurement exhibits the characteristic emissions of a Ga-doped sample. The Hall measurements show a resistivity of 1 x l0(exp 7) ohm-cm at room temperature to 3 x 10(exp 9) ohm-cm at 78K with the respective hole and electron concentration of 1.7 x 10(exp 9) cm(exp -3) and 3.9 x 10(exp 7) cm(exp -3) at room temperature