Ion implantation induced disorder in single‐crystal and sputter‐deposited polycrystalline CdTe characterized by ellipsometry and backscattering spectrometry

Abstract

AbstractBulk single‐crystal CdTe, sputter‐deposited polycrystalline CdTe films of about 2.5 micron thickness, and single‐crystal Si (c‐Si) have been ion implanted using 350 keV Xe at fluences ranging from 1×1013 to 16×1013 cm–2 so as to create disorder in a controlled way from fully single‐crystalline to fully amorphous material. The general purpose of the investigations is to seek a parameterization of the critical point structures and establish a database for fitting the optical properties of CdTe films having different unknown grain sizes whereby the grain size will be described in terms of an effective defect density. The polycrystalline CdTe samples were magnetron sputtered onto c‐Si followed by CdCl2 and Br2‐methanol treatment to improve properties in terms of grain size and surface smoothness, respectively. The fluences for use in the ion implantation of CdTe were estimated using the SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) software, and cross‐checked by simultaneous implantation of bulk c‐Si samples. The optical properties were characterized by second derivative analysis and by a generalized critical point model. Although the damage created by 350 keV Xe in the simultaneously implanted c‐Si samples, as measured by both spectroscopic ellipsometry and Rutherford backscattering/ channeling spectrometry (RBS/C), agrees well with the expectations based on the SRIM simulation, the damage created in CdTe remains at a very low level even for doses several times higher than the amorphization level estimated by simulation. The character of the dechanneling of the RBS/C spectra indicates extended defects (presumably dislocation loops). This effect was similar in both single‐crystal and thin film polycrystalline CdTe, although less pronounced in thin film samples. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)