Initial growth and interface structure of CdTe thin films grown by MBE on 4° miscut Si substrates

S. C Y Tsen, David Smith, S. Rujirawat, S. Sivananthan

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

CdTe thin films with thicknesses in the range of 60 approximately to 100 nm have been grown on miscut (001) Si surfaces under different precursors, such as Te and As, with one cycle annealing. The thin-film microstructure was studied in cross section using high-resolution electron microscopy. Atomic-resolution images revealed several interesting features of the initial growth of the heteroepitaxial CdTe thin films. With As as the precursor, the films initially grew in three different orientation variants (commonly referred to as domains): (A) CdTe (111)//Si (001) with CdTe (1-10)//Si(110); (B) CdTe (111)//Si (001) with CdTe (11-2)//Si(110); and (c) CdTe (001)//Si (001) with CdTe (110)//Si (110). Each variant has demonstrated its own characteristic defects such as twinning, interface Lomer dislocations and {111} stacking faults. With the [001] growth direction, the CdTe film became defect-free by having about 13° tilt relative to Si [001] such that CdTe (1-11) and Si(-111) planes aligned sideways at the interface. With Te as the precursor, A- and B-type variants were mainly observed. The interfaces were sharper, especially for the A-type interface, but the film adhesion was weaker than when As was the precursor.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationMaterials Research Society Symposium - Proceedings
EditorsR.C. Cammarata, E.H. Chason, T.L. Einstein, E.D. Williams
PublisherMRS
Pages265-270
Number of pages6
Volume440
StatePublished - 1997
EventProceedings of the 1996 MRS Fall Symposium - Boston, MA, USA
Duration: Dec 2 1996Dec 5 1996

Other

OtherProceedings of the 1996 MRS Fall Symposium
CityBoston, MA, USA
Period12/2/9612/5/96

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Initial growth and interface structure of CdTe thin films grown by MBE on 4° miscut Si substrates'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this