The properties of ZnTe layers heteroepitaxially grown on Si using atmospheric metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

The properties of (100) ZnTe on (100) Si were studied in detail. The growth kinetic of ZnTe is mainly controlled by the formation of a Zn-DETe adduct. The ZnTe layer grown on (100)Si at 420 °C shows a (100) single crystal with poor surface morphology and crystalline quality. The poor quality is attributed to the existence of residual oxide on the Si substrate. Use of a Ge interfacial layer can significantly reduce the native oxide. Row modulation epitaxy of ZnTe is an effective nucleation step to improve the surface morphology and the properties of the subsequent ZnTe growth. The photoluminescence spectrum shows very strong emission of bound excitons associated with a Zn vacancy and an unidentified impurity. The unidentified impurity is probably due to residual Ge in the chamber. A high density of misfit dislocations was observed at both ZnTe/Ge and Ge/Si interfaces. The threading dislocation density in ZnTe layers becomes much less if the thickness is above 1 μm.