Theory of the Electronic Properties of Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride Alloys.
Abstract
An accurate band-structure theory for semiconductor alloys was achieved. It has been successfully applied to Mercury-Cadmium-Telluride alloys (MCT), and is being extended to III-V and other II-VI semiconductor alloys. As a result of this research, ten papers have been published. Several other papers and one book are in progress. The most important finding was the origin of the major disorder and its effects on different parts of the band structure. The large s-energy fluctuation between the Hg and Cd sites was found to cause a large smearing in the density of states about 5 eV below the top of the valence band, but it produced very little bowing and scattering for the states near the band gap. A detailed study of these facts accounts for the lattice instability of MCT and its very high electron mobility. Another significant result is that, while Cd weakens a neighboring Hg-Te bond, Zn strengthens it. Such structural studies may help resolve the adverse structural difficulties affecting MCT as an infrared material.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 21, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA143426
Entities
People
- A. B. Chen
- A. Sher
Organizations
- Auburn University