Characterization of Te Precipitates in CdTe Crystals

Te precipitates in CdTe crystals grown by the Bridgman method have been investigated using Auger electron spectroscopy, transmission infrared microscopy and etching techniques. The transmission infrared microscopy shows that Te precipitates with dimensions of several micrometers have well-defined crystallographic facets and are found to decorate dislocations; the density of the precipitates (<1 µm in diameter) is of the same order of the etch pit density, which suggests there exists a strong correlation between the presence of the precipitates and the dislocations.