Metal layers deposited onto the surface of the semiconductor CdTe effected a shift of the concentration profile of Ag dopants in CdTe by several 100 μm during diffusion annealing at about 550K. Radio-tracer experiments using 111Ag showed that this effect occurred in the case of Al, Ni, Cu, and Au layers. A preliminary explanation related the effect to an enhancement of the diffusion of Ag atoms in CdTe caused by Cd self-interstitials that were generated at the metal/semiconductor interface.

Shift of Ag Diffusion Profiles in CdTe by Metal/Semiconductor Interfaces. H.Wolf, J.Kronenberg, F.Wagner, M.Deicher, T.Wichert, ISOLDE: Applied Physics Letters, 2012, 100[17], 171915