The effect of growth orientation on the morphology, composition, and growth rate of mercury cadmium telluride layers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

Abstract

We have measured the growth rate dependence of CdTe and HgTe layers in the growth surface direction. The growth mechanism of HgTe and CdTe were concluded to be heterogeneous, surface kinetic limited. The morphology of CdTe and mercury cadmium telluride interdiffusion multilayer process layers is found to be strongly effected by the large anisotropy of the CdTe growth rate. The best morphologies were found to be on surfaces having directions of maximum CdTe growth rates, with respect to surfaces of other crystallographic directions. A model for hillocks formation is given, based on the CdTe growth rate anisotropy. The different nature of twins stacking faults in (111)A and (111)B layers is explained by the different morphologies of these layers.