Deposition of HgCdTe epitaxial layers on anisotropically etched silicon surfaces by laser evaporation

HgCdTe films have been deposited on Si anisotropically etched microrelief (AEMR) surfaces by YAG:Nd3+ pulsed laser without substrate heating. The formation and a comparative investigation of morphology and some electrophysical properties of HgCdTe films and HgCdTeSi heterosystems on flat and microrelief substrates have been made in dependence on the distance from target to substrate and series of laser pulses. The deposited films and heterosystems were characterized by different techniques: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), micro X-ray electron probe analysis and current-voltage characteristics method. Based on these data it has been shown that the film growth process on Si AEMR surface in the morphological stability conditions (films reproduce the substrate microrelief) is the result of layer by layer mechanism with step migration and without nucleation. The difference in current-voltage characteristics are discussed in term of injection phenomena and depends strongly on laser deposition conditions.