Heterostructures which consisted of -HgI2 on Ge-doped CdTe were studied by means of cathodoluminescence techniques in a scanning electron microscope. The epitaxial growth of -HgI2 was shown to enhance the cathodoluminescence intensity in a layer of the substrate which extended to some 500 from the halide/CdTe interface. The cathodoluminescence spectra of the layer revealed the presence of a band that was related to Te vacancies. There was also a decrease in the emission, that was attributed to defect complexes which involved Ge. The data suggested that Ge impurity-gettering and VTe generation at the interface took place during -HgI2 epitaxial growth.

G.Panin, J.Piqueras, N.Sochinskii, E.Dieguez: Applied Physics Letters, 1997, 70[7], 877-9