Effects of annealing on the electrical properties of CdxHg1−xTe

Abstract

Cd_xHg_1−xTe with 0.17<xxHg_1−xTe (isothermal anneal), or lower than the Cd_xHg_1−xTe (two‐temperature anneal). Isothermal anneals carried out in closed‐tube and open‐tube systems convert material which is initially p type by native defects to n type. Two‐temperature, closed‐tube anneals can be used to convert n type to p type, the acceptor concentration being controlled by the Cd_xHg_1−xTe temperature and the mercury vapor pressure. Two‐temperature, open‐tube anneals also result in conversion from n to p, however, the mercury vapor pressure (over the range studied) does not influence the final acceptor concentration but does affect the time required to reach equilibrium. The results are discussed in terms of the pressure‐temperature diagram and the defect/impurity balance in Cd_xHg_1−xTe .