Homoepitaxial growth of CdTe on vicinal

This study investigates the homoepitaxial growth of cadmium telluride (CdTe) on vicinal CdTe (100) surfaces using organometallic precursors in a hydrogen atmosphere. The objective was to understand the dependence of film morphology and growth kinetics on substrate misorientation, given that CdTe is significant for infrared detector applications. Employing systematic variations of substrate angles (0°, 2°, 4°, 6°, and 8°), the research utilized measurements of film growth rates alongside precursor adsorption and desorption kinetics. The findings revealed that while films grown on different misoriented substrates exhibited distinct surface morphologies—ranging from rough to smooth—growth rates were only weakly dependent on the misorientation. Notably, precursor studies indicated that the adsorption characteristics on CdTe differ significantly from those on III-V semiconductors, specifically showcasing reversible adsorption dynamics. Importantly, misorientation-induced step densities did not participate in the rate-determining steps of the growth mechanism. These insights contribute to a nuanced understanding of the factors influencing CdTe film quality, critical for optimizing device performance in semiconductor applications.