The strain which was due to the twin boundary structure in (¯1¯1¯1) films was analyzed. The CdTe films were grown on (100) GaAs and (¯1¯1¯1) CdTe substrates. High-density twinned domains were present in the films. The strain and lattice constant of the films were measured by using optical reflectance and X-ray diffraction methods, respectively. It was found that the crystalline lattices of the films were under a predominantly biaxial compressive stress. The amount of strain was proportional to the defect density. The strain was only slightly relaxed in films with twinned domains caused by double positioning. The strain was enhanced by defects which were characteristic of (¯1¯1¯1) CdTe films.

H.Tatsuoka, H.Kuwabara, Y.Nakanishi, H.Fujiyasu: Applied Surface Science, 1993, 65-66, 426-32