Stoichiometry related defects in CdTe crystals

In this work, we report on the structural analyses of undoped CdTe samples grown by the vapor phase and the Bridgman methods. Different techniques were used for determining the structural defects: wet etching, high resolution X-ray diffraction, double crystal X-ray topography and monochromatic SEM-cathodoluminescence mapping. The density and the nature of the structural defects were found to be correlated to the stoichiometry of the samples, as determined by a detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the partial pressure of the vapors in equilibrium with the solid.