A review was presented of electron microscopic observations of epitaxial HgCdTe alloys. The type of substrate, the substrate orientation, the substrate temperature during growth, and the Hg/Te flux ratio could have a significant effect upon the film morphology. Extensive characterization studies, using electron microscopy, had provided invaluable information concerning the connection between defect formation and the influence of certain growth parameters. The types of defect which were observed by electron microscopy included dislocations, twins and stacking faults, surface hillocks and crater defects, and precipitates, as well as artefacts which were introduced during sample preparation. By combining electron microscopy observations with characterization methods, such as in situ ellipsometry, Fourier-transform infra-red spectroscopy and hole measurements, it was expected to be possible to improve further the quality of HgCdTe epilayers.

Defect Characterization for Epitaxial HgCdTe Alloys by Electron Microscopy. T.Aoki, Y.Chang, G.Badano, J.Zhao, C.Grein, S.Sivananthan, D.J.Smith: Journal of Crystal Growth, 2004, 265[1-2], 224-34