Sublimation of (111) and (001) CdTe was carried out at 350C in a vacuum of 10-8 torr. Distinctive thermal etch pits were observed on the (111)Te and (111)Cd faces. These permitted an unequivocal determination to be made of the crystallographic polarity of (111) CdTe. Microcrystals in the form of truncated prisms grew on the sublimated (001) CdTe. The bases of these microcrystals were aligned in the [110] and [1¯10] directions. Their concentrations and alignments were similar to those found for the chemical etch pits which developed on (001) CdTe in EAg-1 solution. Auger electron spectroscopic studies showed that the (111)Te face became slightly richer in Cd, whereas those of (111)Cd and (001) remained unchanged. The results were consistent with the measured vacuum sublimation rates, and confirmed the differences in the effective growth rate of CdTe and possibly of other AIIBVI materials on the (111) and (001) CdTe substrates.

J.J.Dubowski, J.M.Wrobel, D.F.Mitchell, G.I.Sproule: Journal of Crystal Growth, 1989, 94[1], 41-5