Production of low-cost large-area CdZnTe films by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on GaAs and Si substrates

This paper reports the deposition of (100) GaAs and (111)B CdZnTe layers on silicon substrates up to 4-inch diameter to produce substrates suitable for liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) of high-quality HgCdTe layers. Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition is used for both GaAs and CdZnTe in a reactor capable of deposition onto eighteen 3-inch or ten 4-inch wafers per run. An encapsulation scheme is described that prevents contamination of a Te melt by Si or GaAs during LPE growth. Excellent uniformity of thickness and Zn concentration are achieved in the MOCVD films. The CdZnTe films show only lamellar twins close to the GaAs interface; no twins capable of propagating into the HgCdTe layer are formed. These substrates have been used for the growth of pure HgCdTe films having a dislocation density that is only a factor of 2 to 4 higher than that measured in similar films grown on bulk CdTe substrates.