D. D. Lofgreen

Cross-Sectional Study of Macrodefects in MBE Dual-Band HgCdTe on CdZnTe

HgCdTe dual-band mid-wave infrared/long-wave infrared focal-plane arrays on CdZnTe are a key component in advanced electrooptic sensor applications. Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has been used successfully for growth of dual-band layers on larger CdZnTe substrates. However, the macrodefect density, which is known to reduce the pixel operability and its run-to-run variation, is larger when compared with layers grown on Si substrate. This paper reports the macrodefect density versus size signature of a well-optimized MBE dual-band growth and a cross-sectional study of a macrodefect that represents the most prevalent class using focused ion beam, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The results show that the macrodefect originates from a void, which in turn is associated with a pit on the CdZnTe substrate.

Impact of Tellurium Precipitates in CdZnTe Substrates on MBE HgCdTe Deposition

State-of-the-art (112)B CdZnTe substrates were examined for near-surface tellurium precipitate-related defects. The Te precipitate density was observed to be fairly uniform throughout the bulk of the wafer, including the near-surface region. After a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) preparation etch, exposed Te precipitates, small pits, and bumps on the (112)B surface of the CdZnTe wafer were observed. From near-infrared and dark field microscopy, the bumps and small pits on the CdZnTe surface are associated with strings of Te precipitates. Raised bumps are Te precipitates near the surface of the (112)B CdZnTe where the MBE preparation etch has not yet exposed the Te precipitate(s). An exposed Te precipitate sticking above the etched CdZnTe surface plane occurs when the MBE preparation etch rapidly undercuts a Te precipitate. Shallow surface pits are formed when the Te precipitate is completely undercut from the surrounding (112)B surface plane. The Te precipitate that was previously located at the center of the pit is liberated by the MBE preparation etch process.

Study of Macrodefects in MBE-Grown HgCdTe Epitaxial Layers Using Focused Ion Beam Milling

This paper presents a study on the initiation and evolution of macrodefects in molecular beam epitaxy-grown two-color HgCdTe epitaxial layers on CdZnTe substrates. A combination of focused ion beam milling and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy was used to look at the defect cross-sections, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy was used to study the cross-sectional composition. This study shows that the classic microvoids tend to initiate at interfaces, such as the substrate/epitaxial layer interface and n–p junctions, because of nonoptimum growth conditions. Another class of microvoids was traced to Te precipitates existing in CdZnTe substrates. Large circular defects, occasionally seen on HgCdTe epitaxial layers, were traced to a tiny volatile particle on the substrate, which is believed to be organic in nature. Another large, irregularly shaped Te-rich defect is seen initiating abruptly during growth and is attributed to occasional outburst of Te clusters from effusion cells.

High-Performance M/LWIR Dual-Band HgCdTe/Si Focal-Plane Arrays

Mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) grown on large-area silicon (Si) substrates allows for larger array formats and potentially reduced focal-plane array (FPA) cost compared with smaller, more expensive cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) substrates. In this work, the use of HgCdTe/Si for mid- wavelength/long-wavelength infrared (M/LWIR) dual-band FPAs is evaluated for tactical applications. A number of M/LWIR dual-band HgCdTe triple-layer n-P-n heterojunction device structures were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) on 100-mm (211)Si substrates. Wafers exhibited low macrodefect densities (< 300 cm−2). Die from these wafers were mated to dual-band readout integrated circuits to produce FPAs. The measured 81-K cutoff wavelengths were 5.1 μm for band 1 (MWIR) and 9.6 μm for band 2 (LWIR). The FPAs exhibited high pixel operability in each band with noise-equivalent differential temperature operability of 99.98% for the MWIR band and 98.7% for the LWIR band at 81 K. The results from this series are compared with M/LWIR FPAs from 2009 to address possible methods for improvement. Results obtained in this work suggest that MBE growth defects and dislocations present in devices are not the limiting factor for detector operability, with regards to infrared detection for tactical applications.

Study of Morphological Defects on Dual-Band HgCdTe on CdZnTe

HgCdTe dual-band epitaxial layers on lattice-matched CdZnTe substrates often have morphological defects. These defects, unlike normal void and microvoid defects, do not contain a polycrystalline core and, therefore, do not offer a good contrast for observation using optical and electron microscopes. This paper reports a way of identifying these defects by using a Nomarski optical microscopy image overlay on focused ion beam microscopy images for preparation of thin cross-sectional foils of these defects. Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the defect cross-sections to identify the origin and evolution of the morphological defects and their effect on the epitaxial layer. This paper reports cross-sectional analysis of four morphological defects of different shape and size.

Status of HgCdTe/Si Technology for Large Format Infrared Focal Plane Arrays

HgCdTe offers significant advantages over other semiconductors which has made it the most widely utilized variable-gap material in infrared focal plane array (FPA) technology. However, one of the main limitations of the HgCdTe materials system has been the size of lattice-matched bulk CdZnTe substrates, used for epitaxially-grown HgCdTe, which are 30 cm2 in size for production and have historically been difficult and expensive to scale in size. This limitation does not adequately support the increasing demand for larger FPA formats which now require sizes up to and beyond 2048 x 2048 and only a single die can be printed per wafer. Heteroepitaxial Si-based substrates offer a cost-effective technology that can be more readily scaled to large wafer sizes. Most of the effort in the IR community in the last 10 years has focused on growing HgCdTe directly on (112)Si substrates by MBE. At Raytheon we have scaled the MBE (112)HgCdTe/Si process originally developed at HRL for 3-in wafers, first to 4-in wafers and more recently to 6 in wafers. We have demonstrated a wide range of MWIR FPA formats up to 2560 x 512 in size and have found that their performance is comparable to arrays grown on bulk CdZnTe substrates by either MBE or LPE techniques. More recent work is focused on extending HgCdTe/Si technology to LWIR wavelengths. The goal of this paper is to review the current status of HgCdTe/Si technology both at Raytheon and the published work available from other organizations.

Higher Dislocation Density of Arsenic-Doped HgCdTe Material

There is a well-known direct negative correlation between dislocation density and optoelectronic device performance. Reduction in detector noise associated with dislocations is an important target for improvement of mercury cadmium telluride (Hg1−xCdxTe)-based material in order to broaden its use in the very long-wavelength infrared (VLWIR) regime. The lattice mismatch and differences in physical properties between substrates and the epitaxial Hg1−xCdxTe layers cause an increased threading dislocation density. As demonstrated in this work, the presence of arsenic impurities via p-type doping in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown epitaxial crystal structure increases the etch pit density (EPD) of Hg1−xCdxTe grown on Si substrates but not on CdZnTe substrates. This EPD increase is not observed in indium n-type-doped Hg1−xCdxTe grown on either Si or CdZnTe substrates. This trend is also seen in layers with different cadmium compositions. All of the EPD variations of the structures studied here are shown to be independent of the MBE machine used to grow the structure. The fundamentals of this higher EPD are not yet completely understood.

Impurity Gettering in (112)B HgCdTe/CdTe/Alternate Substrates

The crystalline structure and impurity profiles of HgCdTe/CdTe/alternate substrate (AS; Si and GaAs are possibilities) and CdTe/AS were analyzed by secondary-ion mass spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, etch pit density analysis, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Impurities (Li, Na, and K) were shown to getter in as-grown CdTe/Si epilayers at in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal (~500°C) interfaces. In HgCdTe/CdTe/Si epilayers, indium accumulation was observed at Te-stabilized thermal anneal interfaces. Impurity accumulation was measured at HgCdTe/CdTe and CdTe/ZnTe interfaces. Processing anneals were found to nearly eliminate the gettering effect at the in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal interfaces. Impurities were found to redistribute to the front HgCdTe/CdTe/Si surface and p–n junction interfaces during annealing steps. We also investigated altering the in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal process to enhance the gettering effect.

HgCdTe Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth Temperature Calibration Using Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

In this work, spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) is demonstrated as a technique to calibrate growth temperature measurement devices (thermocouples and pyrometers) prior to real mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) growth. A pyrometer is used to control the substrate temperature in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for the growth of HgCdTe-based material. It is known that a very narrow optimal growth temperature range exists for HgCdTe, typically ±5°C. A nonoptimal growth temperature will negatively impact on material quality by inducing growth defects, reducing composition uniformity, causing difficulty in controlling doping incorporation, promoting poor electronic properties, and having other adverse effects. Herein, we present a method for measuring and calibrating substrate temperature measurement equipment by using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) prior to real HgCdTe growth. This method is easy to implement, nondestructive, and reliable. The proposed method requires one substrate with a surface material with optical properties well known in the temperature range of interest, but not necessarily the same base material as the material to be grown. In the specific case of this work, we use epitaxial CdTe material on top of a Si substrate. This wafer was used to create a database of its optical properties as a function of temperature by using SE. From the collected optical parameters, a model is built and a fit is generated from the SE data collected. The temperature can then be determined by fitting the temperature-dependent SE measurements from this specific CdTe material. The angle offset and surface roughness parameters are also included in the model to account for changes in the average run-to-run angle variations and surface conditions over time. This work does not attempt to obtain an absolute temperature, but rather a reliable and repeatable relative temperature measurement.

Large format HgCdTe focal plane arrays for dual-band long-wavelength infrared detection

Raytheon Visions Systems (RVS) is furthering its capability to deliver state-of-the-art high performance large format HgCdTe focal plane arrays (FPAs) for dual-band long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) detection.