ECR Ar/CH 4 /H 2 plasma damage in HgCdTe

Abstract

The capacitance-voltage (C-V) and the Hall effect measurements were used, in order to study electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma damage in HgCdTe (MCT). In this study using ECR treatments of MCT and C-V measurements, we observed that the type conversion of MCT surface largely depended on the ECR etching conditions, when MCT was etched by ECR plasma as a function of the ECR power and dc bias. The n-type conversion was not observed when the p-type MCT was etched under the condition of ECR power 150 W and dc bias -20 V. As dc bias of ECR increased over -40 V at the constant ECR power 150 W, the p-type MCT was converted to n-type. The p-type MCT was also converted to n-type when ECR power increased to 500 W at the constant dc bias -20 V. These results probably were due to the inter-diffusion of a large amount of excess mercury, liberated during the ECR treatment, into MCT, which were similar to the results of ion milling process. Another interesting result, observed in C-V measurements, was the p- type conversion from n-type MCT when the n-type MCT was etched under the condition of ECR power 150 W and dc bias -20 V. As dc bias of ECR increased over -40 V, the C-V curve was the results of n-type MCT characteristics. We considered that a low dc bias of -20 V, the hydrogen passivation and the deficiency of mercury in the etched surface were dominant and resulted in conversion to p-type. As dc bias increased over -40 V, the inter-diffusion of excess mercury into MCT was dominant and associated with keeping the n-type characteristics.