HgCdTe buried multi-junction photodiodes fabricated by the liquid phase epitaxy

This article reports the parameters and characteristics of the new type of HgCdTe buried photodiodes operated at near-room temperature (T=200–300 K) in long wavelength infrared spectral range. The liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) Hg_1−xCd_xTe (x=0.16–0.20) layers were grown on holes etched in (1 0 0) CdZnTe substrate. Prior to layer deposition, the CdZnTe substrate has been etched to form the bars on 30 μm centers and 20-μm depth. Next, 20-μm thick HgCdTe epitaxial layer has been grown from Te-rich solution. The type of conductivity was controlled by deliberately doping with indium (n-type) and Sb (p-type). The Nomarski microscopy showed that the surface of specially prepared layers was flat and the composition of layers, measured by Fourier transform infrared microscopy, was homogenous. Samples were cleaved and examined in cross section by scanning electron microscopy. Finally, serial connected multi-junction photodiodes have been fabricated. It is shown that LPE can be used to realise advanced bandgap engineered multi-junction structures. This conclusion is supported by device quality characteristics: spectral response and detectivity.     

HgCdTe材料应用与制备的进展

HgCdTe是一种有广泛应用前景的Ⅱ-Ⅵ族化合物半导体光电材料。从投资上看,它已为仅次于Si和GaAs的第三种最重要的半导体。HgCdTe是制作红外探测器的最佳材料。本文简要地介绍了HsCdTe材料的性质以及它的应用和制备进展,着重描述了在红外探测器上的应用。对制备HgCdTe单晶的各种工艺方法作了比较说明,较详细地介绍了滑动液相外延(LPE)制备HgCdTe单晶薄膜技术。     

Ion milling-assisted study of defect structure of HgCdTe films grown by liquid phase epitaxy

Ion milling, as a tool for “stirring” defects in HgCdTe by injecting high concentration of interstitial mercury atoms, was used for studying films grown by liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) on CdZnTe substrates. The films appeared to have very low residual donor concentration (∼10¹⁴ cm⁻³), yet, similar to the material grown by molecular beam epitaxy, contained Te-related neutral defects, which the milling activated electrically. It is shown that ion milling has a stronger effect on HgCdTe defect structure than thermal treatment, and yet eventually brings the material to an “equilibrium” state with defect concentration lower than that after low-temperature annealing.     

在LPE生长中降温和恒温对InAsPSb外延层组分分布的影响

采用LPE技术,生长出InAsPSb外延层,研究了降温、恒温两种方法对外延层组分分布的影响。结果表明,用恒温方法生长时,外延层中P、Sb组分分布较为均匀,在脉冲电流激发下,得到了3.09μm激光输出。     

B+注入HgCdTe快速热退火的研究

借助二次离子质谱和俄歇电子能谱对B⁺注入HgCdTe有无ZnS膜包封在快速热退火条件下表层的Hg损失进行了深入的分析-快速热退火温度为300，350和400℃，退火时间为10s-ZnS膜厚度为160nm-结果表明，300℃，10s快速热退火后，有ZnS膜包封的HgCdTe表层没有Hg损失-对B⁺注入HgCdTe N⁺-P结快速热退火工艺流程进行了优化-结果表明，快速热退火放在光刻金属电极之后进行，可以改善结的特性- 关键词：     

超薄溶液LPE技术生长GaInAsP/InP超晶格的理论与实验

本文由有限厚度溶液及自由表面浓度和恒定表面浓度二种模型出发对LPE生长动力学过程进行了理论分析,并导出了实现薄层生长的参数控制条件,根据这一条件用LPE技术实际生长了GaInAsP/InP超晶格,570℃下用突冷法及被压缩到200μm～500μm的薄层溶液在0.2s的驻留时间内分别重复长出了5nm(Ga0.40In0.60As0.89P0.11)和10nm(InP)的超晶格,证明了用重复推拉舟的LPE系统在一定的参数条件下可以生长MQW结构.     

The role of surface steps in the asymmetric surface dislocation nucleation in vicinal heterostructures with compressive and tensile stresses

The surface nucleation of misfit dislocations in vicinal (001)-oriented heterostructures is discussed. It is shown that beside the asymmetrical stressing of opposite dislocation slip planes due to the vicinal substrate, the surface steps have a similar effect. The effect of the steps has the same-sign asymmetry for a compressive stressed epilayer, but is opposite in the tensile case. The effect on dislocation nucleation energy is calculated. For miscut angles used normally, the step energy contribution exceeds that due to the vicinal substrate. The effect on epilayer tilting is also discussed.     

缓冲层InxGa1-xAs组分对In0.82Ga0.18As结晶质量和表面形貌的影响

采用低压金属有机化学气相沉积(LP-MOCVD)技术,两步生长法在InP衬底上制备In_0.82Ga_0.18As材料.研究缓冲层In_xGa_1-xAs的In组分对In_0.82Ga_0.18As结晶质量和表面形貌的影响.X射线衍射(XRD)用于表征材料的组分和结晶质量.用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)观察样品的表面形貌.实验结果表明,低温生长的缓冲层In_xGa_1-xAs的In组分影响高温生长的外延层In_0.82Ga_0.18As的结晶质量和表面形貌.测量得到四个样品的外延层In_0.82Ga_0.18As的X射线衍射谱峰半峰全宽(FWHM)为0.596°,0.68°,0.362°和0.391°,分别对应缓冲层In组分x=0.28,0.53,0.82,0.88,当缓冲层In组分是0.82时,FWHM最窄,表明样品的结晶质量最好.SEM观察四个样品的表面形貌,当缓冲层In组分是0.82时,样品的表面平整,没有出现交叉平行线或蚀坑等缺陷,表面形貌最佳.     

Si基GaN外延层光致发光光谱与二次离子质谱的研究

报道了在Si基上用简便的真空反应法制备出GaN外延层．光致发光光谱测试结果表明不同的生长温度和退火工艺会对GaN外延层的发光特性产生影响,在1050℃下生长的GaN外延层的发光强度高于其他温度下生长的发光强度,退火可以使GaN外延层的发光强度增强．二次离子质谱(SIMS)测试结果表明外延层中Ga和N分布均匀,在表面处Ga发生了偏聚,同时外延层中还存在Si,O等杂质,这使得外延层中背景电子浓度高达1.7×10¹⁸/cm³. SIMS测试结果还表明,在外延生长前采用 关键词：     

Computation of the strain field generated by dislocations with a position-dependent Burgers' vector distribution

A new phenomenon of strain relaxation will be presented. In a series of InxGa1-xAs graded composition buffer layers grown on well cut (001) GaAs substrates, a curvature of the epilayer lattice has been found, i.e. a tilt of the epilayer lattice orientation with respect to the substrate which varies coherently along the sample surface on the scale of several mm. The most recent data analysis performed on a buffer layer compositionally graded with a six-step profile shows also a thickness functional dependence of the curvature. The epilayer lattice curvature has been attributed to a coherent lateral distribution of the Burgers' vectors. An analytical model has been developed in the framework of the continuum elasticity theory to compute the related strain field. The results show small but unexpected contributions to the parallel strain.     

Influence of AlN buffer layer thickness on structural properties of GaN epilayer grown on Si (111) substrate with AlGaN interlayer

We present the growth of GaN epilayer on Si (111) substrate with a single AlGaN interlayer sandwiched between the GaN epilayer and AlN buffer layer by using the metalorganic chemical vapour deposition. The influence of the AlN buffer layer thickness on structural properties of the GaN epilayer has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy and high-resolution x-ray diffraction. It is found that an AlN buffer layer with the appropriate thickness plays an important role in increasing compressive strain and improving crystal quality during the growth of AlGaN interlayer, which can introduce a more compressive strain into the subsequent grown GaN layer, and reduce the crack density and threading dislocation density in GaN film.     

The effect of single A1GaN interlayer on the structural properties of GaN epilayers grown on Si （111） substrates

High-quality and nearly crack-free GaN epitaxial layer was obtained by inserting a single AlGaN interlayer between GaN epilayer and high-temperature AlN buffer layer on Si (111) substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. This paper investigates the effect of AlGaN interlayer on the structural properties of the resulting GaN epilayer. It confirms from the optical microscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy that the AlGaN interlayer has a remarkable effect on introducing relative compressive strain to the top GaN layer and preventing the formation of cracks. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis reveal that a significant reduction in both screw and edge threading dislocations is achieved in GaN epilayer by the insertion of AlGaN interlayer. The process of threading dislocation reduction in both AlGaN interlayer and GaN epilayer is demonstrated.     

APCVD生长碳化硅薄膜中汽相结晶过程的研究

对宽禁带半导体材料碳化硅薄膜的常压化学汽相沉积(APCVD)异质外延技术进行了讨论.在SiC薄膜的生长过程中对Si/C原子比例的控制一直是影响薄膜表面形貌和膜层掺杂浓度的重要因素.针对水平卧式反应室,分析了生长过程中气流流速分布、反应室内温度分布以及反应气体浓度分布,指出"汽相结晶"过程对薄膜生长区Si/C比例有很大影响,从而影响了碳化硅薄膜的生长速率,非常好的解释了薄膜生长过程中出现的现象.     

The effect of substrate material on pulsed laser deposition of HgCdTe films

This paper describes some recent results of the HgCdTe thin film grown directly on different substrates (sapphire, GaAs and Si) by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The influences of the substrate material on the properties of HgCdTe thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). It was found that the quality of the HgCdTe film has a strong relation to the structure and properties of the substrate. The experiment results indicate that the HgCdTe epitaxial thin films grown directly on the sapphire substrates have a high quality, and the composition of the films is close to that of the target. While the quality of the HgCdTe films deposited on the Si and GaAs substrates are not very good.     

High temperature defects in electron irradiated semiconductors HgCdTe,PbSnTe

The peculiarities of defect formation in n- and p-type conductivity HgCdTe and PbSnTe crystals after electron irradiation (2 MeV, 300 K) up to 2 × 10¹⁸ cm^-2 are examined. It has been found that irradiation results in formation of n-type conductivity crystals with final parameters that are determined by the composition of initial samples. The annealing of radiation defects occurs in the 360–470 K temperature range. It has been believed that the change of HgCdTe, PbSnTe properties after electron irradiation at 300 K are connected with formation of radiation defects, including Te vacancies.     

Assessment of HgCdTe photodiodes and quantum well infrared photoconductors for long wavelength focal plane arrays

Recent trends in infrared detectors are towards large, electronically addressed two-dimensional arrays. In the long wavelength infrared (LWIR) spectral range HgCdTe focal plane arrays (FPAs) occupy a dominant position. However, the slow progress in the development of large LWIR photovoltaic HgCdTe infrared imaging arrays and the rapid achievements of novel semiconductor heterostructure systems have made it necessary to foresee the future development of different material technologies in fabrication large FPAs. Among the competing technologies in LWIR are the quantum well infrared photoconductors (QWIPs) based on lattice matched GaAs/AlGaAs and strained layer InGaAs/AlGaAs material systems. This paper compares the technical merits of two IR detector arrays technologies; photovoltaic HgCdTe and QWIPs. It is clearly shown that LWIR QWIP cannot compete with HgCdTe photodiode as the single device especially at higher temperature operation (>70 K) due to fundamental limitations associated with intersubband transitions. However, the advantage of HgCdTe is less distinct in temperature range below 50 K due to problems involved in HgCdTe material (p-type doping, Shockley–Read recombination, trap-assisted tunnelling, surface and interface instabilities). Even though the QWIP is a photoconductor, several of its properties such as high impedance, fast response time, long integration time, and low power consumption, well satisfy the requirements of fabrication of large FPAs. Due to the high material quality at low temperature, QWIP has potential advantages over HgCdTe for very LWIR (VLWIR) FPA applications in terms of the array size, uniformity, yield and cost of the systems.     

Effect of temperature on pulsed laser deposition of HgCdTe films

HgCdTe thin films have been deposited on Si(1 1 1) substrates at different substrate temperatures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). An Nd:YAG pulsed laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used as laser source. The influences of the substrate temperature on the crystalline quality, surface morphology and composition of HgCdTe thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that in our experimental conditions, the HgCdTe thin films deposited at 200 °C have the best quality. When the substrate temperature is over 250 °C, the HgCdTe film becomes thermodynamically unstable and the quality of the film is degraded.     

HgCdTe长波光伏探测器的表面漏电流及1/f噪声研究

在同一Hg_1-xCd_xTe晶片上(x=0217)制备了单层ZnS钝化和双层 （CdTe+ZnS）钝化的两种器件，对器件烘烤前后的暗电流和1/f噪声进行了测试，烘烤 前发现，ZnS钝化的器件在反偏较大时具有较大的表面隧道电流，而这种表面漏电流是ZnS钝 化器件具有较大1/f噪声电流的原因，通过高分辨x射线衍射中的倒易点阵技术（recipr ocal space mapping,RSM）研究了单双层钝化对HgCdTe外延层晶格完整性的影响，发现单层 ZnS钝化的HgCdTe外延层产生了大量缺陷，而这些缺陷正是ZnS钝化器件具有较大表面漏电流 和1/f噪声的原因. 经过高温烘烤后，ZnS钝化的器件暗电流和1/f噪声增加，而双 层钝化器件经过高温烘烤后性能提高. RSM的研究表明，高温烘烤后ZnS钝化的HgCdTe外延层 产生大量缺陷，这些缺陷正是单层钝化器件表面漏电流和1/f噪声电流增加的原因. 关键词： HgCdTe 光伏探测器 钝化 表面漏电流 1/f噪声 倒易点     

Influence of laser annealing on defect-related luminescence of InGaN epilayers

InGaN epilayers exhibiting strong defect-related sub-bandgap emission, which is undesirable in epilayers and quantum well structures designed for light-emitting diodes and laser diodes, have been studied by confocal photoluminescence spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Inhomogeneous spatial distribution of band-edge luminescence intensity and comparatively homogenous distribution of defect-related emission are demonstrated. It is shown that laser annealing at power densities causing the increase of the temperature at the epilayer surface high enough for indium atoms to move to the surface results in suppression of the defect-related emission.     

准分子激光辐照HgCdTe半导体材料的损伤机理研究

利用光学显微镜和扫描电子显微镜对248 nm准分子脉冲强激光辐照的HgCdTe晶片表面进行了观察,观察到一些与红外波段内激光辐照HgCdTe晶片时大不相同的实验现象.研究表明,红外波段内1 064nm激光辐照HgCdTe半导体材料的损伤机制主要为光热作用,而紫外波段248 nm准分子激光对HgCdTe材料的损伤机制既包含光化学作用也包含光热作用.分析了准分子激光对晶体的机械破坏现象,同时对HgCdTe材料在激光辐照区的条纹产生机理进行了探讨,发现激光驱动声波理论模型比光学模型和热导波模型能更好地解释HgCdTe晶体表面的条纹现象.