Optical and electrical study of deformed hydrogenated bulk Cd0.96Zn0.04Te single crystal

The effect of hydrogenation on defects associated with dislocations has been studied in the p-type Cd(0.96)Zn(0.04)Te (CZT) semiconductor, grown by the horizontal Bridgman method, with the help of current I(V), capacity C(V) measurements, photoluminescence spectra, and cathodoluminescence imaging. To generate dislocations by plastic deformation we have used a Vickers microhardness instrument on several cadmium (Cd)(111) and telluride (Te) ((111) over bar )CZT faces. Hydrogenation was carried out by exposure of the samples to hydrogen plasma at 150 degrees C and 3 mbar for 3 h. The analysis of the results obtained confirms both the reduction of the acceptor concentration, that acceptors may be passivated by formation of neutral complexes with hydrogen, and that the majority defect on each face is the tellurium vacancy, V(Te). A reduction of the broadband at 1.547 eV (V(Cd)(2-)-D) is observed, while the donor bound exciton D(0)X is increased on the Cd face and finally, it seems that the hydrogen stabilizes dislocations and prevents their removal. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.