Transmission electron microscope study of Hg‐based multilayer structures

Mercury‐based multilayer structures including the first superlattice containing layers of a narrow‐gap diluted magnetic semiconductor Hg1−xMnxTe have been studied by transmission electron microscopy. A quantitative characterization of the interface sharpness of HgTe–CdTe superlattices has been carried out by intensity analysis of satellite spots in electron diffraction patterns. It is shown that interfaces in these structures are highly abrupt with a width of one or two monolayers. No appreciable difference in the interface width is observed between areas near the CdTe buffer and those near free surfaces. These observations suggest that no significant intermixing of layers occurs during the growth of these multilayer structures by molecular‐beam epitaxy.