Low-Temperature Photoluminescence Study of CdTe:In Crystals Annealed in Molten Bismuth

Abstract

We used a low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) technique to investigate CdTe:In crystals after annealing in molten bismuth (Bi). The two annealed samples showed different resistivities after the treatment. For both samples, we observed very strong emissions in the excitonic spectral region and revealed fine structures of exciton emissions in the PL spectrum. In the sample with high resistivity, we found one ionized donor-bound exciton peak, (D+,X), that we ascribed to incorporated Bi atoms occupying Cd sites in the CdTe. The temperature dependence of the (D+,X) peak emission had an associated activation energy of 3.59 meV for the exciton bound to this ionized donor. Meanwhile, a donor–acceptor pair peak at 1.5315 eV, which was absent from the PL of the low-resistivity sample, suggested the likelihood of some Bi atoms occupying Te sites in the high-resistivity sample. Our findings highlight the need for detailed investigation of annealing conditions to ensure precise control of the electrical properties of the material during annealing in molten Bi.