A discussion on the utilization of elemental transmutation for efficient p-type doping in HgCdTe and HgCdTeSe: Approach and methodology

Abstract

For p-type doping of HgCdTe, As is preferred because of its relatively low diffusion coefficient, but it suffers from being amphoteric. In this paper, two possible techniques for incorporating As into HgCdTe that should ensure its presence only on nonmetal sites are presented and discussed. These methods are primarily based on the fact that Se can be readily incorporated into group VI sites and that 75Se naturally decays into 75As. Because the nuclear recoils associated with this decay are too small to displace arsenic atoms, substitutional p-doping should be ensured. In addition, a methodology for accurately determining the efficiency of these doping techniques and their influence on the electrical and optical properties of the material is presented.