Electrical Instability of CdTe:Si Crystals

Abstract

Results of Hall effect measurements of cadmium telluride crystals, doped by silicon (dopant concentration in the melt was 1018 - 1019 cm-3), allowed to classify the studied samples and the conditions under which probably the definite crystal and impurity states are realized. We have found the distinction between 3 type of CdTe:Si crystals: (1) low-resistance p-type crystals with shallow acceptors, in which Si impurity is localized mainly in the large inclusions; (2) semi-insulating crystal with deep acceptors and submicron size dopant precipitates that are source/drain for interstitials Sii - shallow donors; and (3) low-resistance crystals in which the n-type conductivity is provided by shallow donors: Sii (and/or SiCd). Therefore the silicon is responsible for n-type conductivity of doped samples, introducing as a donor Siі and provides semi-insulating state by forming deep acceptor complexes (SiCd-VCd2-)- with (Еv + 0.65 eV). Besides, the submicron silica precipitates, that have a tend to "dissolution" at relatively low temperatures, can act as electrically active centers. Keywords: cadmium telluride, silicon, doping, electrical properties, impurity, precipitates.