Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) Induced p- to n-Type Conversion in Extrinsically Doped P-Type hgcdte

Abstract

AbstractMercury annealing of reactive ion etching (RIE) induced p- to n-type conversion in extrinsically doped p-type epitaxial layers of HgCdTe (x=0.31) has been used to reconvert n-type conversion sustained during RIE processing. For the RIE processing conditions used (400mT, CH4/H2, 90 W) p- to n-type conversion was observed using laser beam induced current (LBIC) measurements. After a sealed tube mercury anneal at 200°C for 17 hours, LBIC measurements clearly indicated no n-type converted region remained. Subsequent Hall measurements confirmed that the material consisted of a p-type layer, with electrical properties equivalent to that of the initial as-grown wafer (NA-ND=2× 1016 cm−3, μ=350 cm2.V−1.−1).