Characterization of PbTe p-n+ junction grown by molecular beam epitaxy

In this work we investigate the electrical properties of PbTe p - n(+) junction. Mesa diodes were fabricated from p - n(+) PbTe layers grown on (111) BaF2 substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. From the analysis of the current versus voltage characteristic measured at 80K, the incremental differential resistance and the series resistance were determined. The capacitance versus voltage curves were measured at a frequency of 1MHz. The one-sided abrupt junction was checked through the 1/C(2)xV plot. From the linear fit, the hole concentration and the depletion layer width in the p-side were obtained. The high detectivity values measured for the p - n(+) PbTe diode confirm that it is very suitable for infrared detection.