Arsenic activation in molecular beam epitaxy grown, in situ doped HgCdTe(211)

Photovoltaic p-n junctions are the most significant active components of both current infrared photodetectors and advanced ones being developed. It is of the utmost importance to control both p- and n-type extrinsic doping. This letter addresses the issue of activating arsenic as a p-type dopant of Hg1−xCdxTe at temperatures sufficiently low that the integrity of p-n junctions and the intrinsic advantages of molecular beam epitaxy as a growth technique will not be compromised. The p-type activation of arsenic in (211)B Hg1−xCdxTe is reported after a two-stage anneal at temperatures below 300 °C for Cd compositions suitable for the sensing of long wavelength infrared radiation.