Properties of Hg-based films and superlattices grown by molecular-beam epitaxy

Abstract

We report the electrical, optical, and structural properties of thin films of HgTe, Hg1−xCdxTe, and Hg1−xMnxTe and superlattices of HgTe–CdTe and Hg1−xMnxTe–HgTe. All of these epitaxial films were deposited by molecular-beam epitaxy. The Hg1−xCdxTe films exhibit large electron Hall mobilities, specular reflectances, and sharp optical absorption edges. The Hg1−xMnxTe films, grown with x values of 0.03 and 0.10, also exhibit excellent optical and electrical properties. The p-type HgTe–CdTe superlattices exhibit large hole mobilities. Superlattices containing alternating layers of Hg1−xMnxTe and HgTe have also been successfully prepared. The Hg1−xMnxTe–HgTe multilayers are the first superlattices containing alternating layers of a Hg-based dilute magnetic semiconductor to be grown by any thin-film technique.