Precipitation in CdTe crystals studied through Mie scattering

1994 
Below gap optical losses in as-grown n-type CdTe crystals were analyzed in terms of free carrier absorption and Mie extinction due to Te precipitates. Experimental absorption spectra measured between 2 to 20 μm exhibited the well-known free carrier absorption behavior αFCA∼λx with x=3 due to scattering by polar optical phonons. In shorter wavelength regions below 6 μm, however, additional contributions to the light loss due to absorption and scattering by precipitates were also observed. Assuming a log-normal size distribution, the precipitate extinction spectra were calculated according to Mie theory within the electric and magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole approximation. A comparison with the experimental spectra identifies the precipitates and enables estimation of their sizes and total number density. In this investigation, both undoped and In-doped CdTe crystals grown from stoichiometric melts by vertical asymmetric Bridgman method were used. It was found that In doping, in general, suppresses Te precipitation. At high doping level (melt containing∼1019 In atoms cm−3), the formation of In2Te2 is also indicated. It is demonstrated that the Mie extinction analysis offers an, expedient method to rapidly analyze the precipitates in CdTe and in similar other wide gap materials in a nondestructive manner.
    • Correction
    • Source
    • Cite
    • Save
    • Machine Reading By IdeaReader
    29
    References
    31
    Citations
    NaN
    KQI
    []