Abstract
Some aspects of the mass spectrometric analysis of a molecular beam of mercuric iodide relevant to the vapor growth of HgI 2 crystals are discussed. Mercuric iodide evaporates non-dissociatively in the temperature range of 35–150°C. Hydrocarbons and water are the main volatile impurities. It has been shown that hydrocarbons can be introduced in mercuric iodide not only by iodine but also by contamination by oil vapors from rotary vacuum pumps. Nonstoichiometry of mercuric iodine towards either excess of iodine or excess of mercury has been found. The nonstoichiometry is stabilized by the presence of organic impurities. The vapor pressure curve of HgI 2 shows an abrupt change in sublimation enthalpy at 67°C possibly due to a surface reconstruction at this temperature. As the growth temperature of the HgI 2 crystals is much higher, it is expected that the crystals will acquire an appreciable concentration of surface defects. This is in agreement with earlier observations of HgI 2 detector manufacturers.
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