The behavior of Hg in annealed superlattices during rapid thermal annealing was investigated by means of double-crystal X-ray rocking curve and secondary-ion mass spectroscopy methods. The sharp satellite peaks of the former measurements for as-grown superlattices indicated a periodic arrangement of the superlattice; with high-quality interfaces. As the annealing time increased, the peak intensities of the double-crystal X-ray rocking curve spectra decreased markedly. Secondary ion mass spectrometry profiles of the Cd and Hg concentrations near to the annealed interfaces indicated a non-linear behavior of the Hg, due to an interstitial diffusion mechanism. As the thickness of the CdTe barrier decreased, the diffusion coefficient increased. These results indicated that a non-linear interdiffusion behavior predominated for superlattices that were annealed at 190C.

Diffusion mechanisms in intermixed HgTe/CdTe superlattices M.S.Han, T.W.Kang, J.H.Leem, T.W.Kim: Semiconductor Science and Technology, 1998, 13[8], 915-20