Dislocation clustering and grain nucleation in THM growth of CdTe single crystals

We report a volume defect behavior in CdTe crystals grown by the travelling heater method (THM), involving dislocation clustering and grain nucleation. Spurious grain nucleation events occur within a specific radial zone in the crystal where the growth interface is planar. These grains were characterized by Laue x-ray diffraction and were found to have the same angle of misorientation to the bulk, with exception of an in-plane rotation. The grains were connected to columnar dislocation clusters that were aligned parallel to the growth axis of the crystal and were evidently linked to the planar region of the growth interface. Simulation of the growth process was used to investigate the effects of solvent zone convection and interface curvature with different rotational rates. The observed defect behavior was attributed to the effect of melt convection on the interface shape and instability. Evidence of faceting on the growth interface and its correlation with spurious grain nucleation is shown. These findings highlight the importance of interface engineering in THM growth of high quality CdTe single crystals.