Native point defects in HgCdTe infrared detector material: Identifying deep centers from first principles

Fuente: arXiv
Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Chen, Wei, Rignanese, Gian-Marco, Liu, Jifeng, Hautier, Geoffroy
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
_version_ 1866929274467909632
author Chen, Wei
Rignanese, Gian-Marco
Liu, Jifeng
Hautier, Geoffroy
author_facet Chen, Wei
Rignanese, Gian-Marco
Liu, Jifeng
Hautier, Geoffroy
contents We investigate the native point defects in the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) detector material Hg$_{0.75}$Cd$_{0.25}$Te using a dielectric-dependent hybrid density functional combined with spin-orbit coupling. Characterizing these point defects is essential as they are responsible for intrinsic doping and nonradiative recombination centers in the detector material. The dielectric-dependent hybrid functional allows for an accurate description of the band gap ($E_g$) for Hg$_{1-x}$Cd$_{x}$Te (MCT) over the entire compositional range, a level of accuracy challenging with standard hybrid functionals. Our comprehensive examination of the native point defects confirms that cation vacancies $V_\text{Hg(Cd)}$ are the primary sources of $p$-type conductivity in the LWIR material given their low defect formation energies and the presence of a shallow acceptor level ($-$/0) near the valence-band maximum (VBM). In addition to the shallow acceptor level, the cation vacancies exhibit a deep charge transition level (2$-$/$-$) situated near the midgap, characteristic of nonradiative recombination centers. Our results indicate that Hg interstitial could also be a deep center in the LWIR MCT through a metastable configuration under the Hg-rich growth conditions. While an isolated Te antisite does not show deep levels, the formation of $V_\text{Hg}$-Te$_\text{Hg}$ defect complex introduces a deep acceptor level within the band gap.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_05283
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Native point defects in HgCdTe infrared detector material: Identifying deep centers from first principles
Chen, Wei
Rignanese, Gian-Marco
Liu, Jifeng
Hautier, Geoffroy
Materials Science
Applied Physics
Computational Physics
We investigate the native point defects in the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) detector material Hg$_{0.75}$Cd$_{0.25}$Te using a dielectric-dependent hybrid density functional combined with spin-orbit coupling. Characterizing these point defects is essential as they are responsible for intrinsic doping and nonradiative recombination centers in the detector material. The dielectric-dependent hybrid functional allows for an accurate description of the band gap ($E_g$) for Hg$_{1-x}$Cd$_{x}$Te (MCT) over the entire compositional range, a level of accuracy challenging with standard hybrid functionals. Our comprehensive examination of the native point defects confirms that cation vacancies $V_\text{Hg(Cd)}$ are the primary sources of $p$-type conductivity in the LWIR material given their low defect formation energies and the presence of a shallow acceptor level ($-$/0) near the valence-band maximum (VBM). In addition to the shallow acceptor level, the cation vacancies exhibit a deep charge transition level (2$-$/$-$) situated near the midgap, characteristic of nonradiative recombination centers. Our results indicate that Hg interstitial could also be a deep center in the LWIR MCT through a metastable configuration under the Hg-rich growth conditions. While an isolated Te antisite does not show deep levels, the formation of $V_\text{Hg}$-Te$_\text{Hg}$ defect complex introduces a deep acceptor level within the band gap.
title Native point defects in HgCdTe infrared detector material: Identifying deep centers from first principles
topic Materials Science
Applied Physics
Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.05283