Energy level alignment at zinc blende Cd(Mn)Se/ZnTe/InAs(100) interfaces

Abstract

We have investigated the electronic interfacial structure of the heterovalent Cd(Mn)Se/ZnTe/InAs(100) system, which is a promising material for use in spintronic devices. By combining k-resolved valence- and core-level photoelectron spectroscopy at selected photon energies and a comparison to theoretical density of states with conduction band measurements using inverse photoemission, we find that the ZnTe interlayer leads to a stepwise alignment of the valence band offsets. The overall offset between CdSe and InAs is determined to be −0.86±0.15 eV. Furthermore, the ZnTe interlayer leads to a 1.1 eV potential barrier in the conduction band. Finally, the introduction of 12% Mn into the CdSe overlayer does not induce a significant change in the valence band discontinuity.