Lattice mismatch induced morphological features and strain in HgCdTe epilayers on CdZnTe substrates

HgCdTe epilayers on CdZnTe substrates can exhibit a cross-hatch pattern of periodically varying strain and surface undulations as revealed by x-ray topography, and in some cases by Nomarski optical microscopy. On {111} oriented material, the pattern appears as three sets of parallel lines in the 〈110〉 slip directions (60° apart). To investigate this phenomenon and its impact on photovoltaic device performance, we have characterized several liquid phase epitaxy (LPE)-grown HgCdTe epilayer samples by means of Lang x-ray reflection topography, synchrotron white beam x-ray topography (SWBXT), etch pit density, and other techniques. The cross hatching generally shows a correlation with the ZnTe mole fraction of the substrate. In particular, the pattern is likely to appear when the natural lattice parameter of the layer at room temperature is slightly larger or smaller than that of the substrate in the same region. We also find the corresponding pattern in {211} oriented layers grown by MBE. Although substantial compositional interdiffusion occurs at the layer/substrate interface during LPE growth at around 500°C, this is not a necessary condition for the cross-hatch pattern, as demonstrated by the occurrence of the pattern in MBE material grown at less than 200°C. In terms of device performance, the pattern is manifested as lines of diodes in an array having greater leakage than their neighbors. In addition to these results, we have investigated other anomalies, by means of SWBXT applied to large-area diodes that have been electrically tested. A novel technique called absorption edge contour mapping, using synchrotron white beam x-rays with a molybdenum filter, was applied to reveal the longer range lattice strain.