Bonding and stability in narrow‐gap ternary semiconductors for infrared applications Available to Purchase

The electronic properties of narrow‐gap ternary semimagnetic semiconductors Hg_1−xFe_xSe and Hg_1−xMn_xSe have been studied using synchrotron radiation photoemission techniques. This work was undertaken to assess the character and stability of the Hg–chalcogenide bond. The results are compared to those of similar studies obtained for Hg_1−xCd_xTe and Hg_1−xMn_xTe alloys, and for the binary compounds HgSe and HgTe. Synchrotron radiation photoemission studies show that the addition of Mn or Fe to the binaries perturbs only slightly the Hg–chalcogenide bond, in contrast to the case of Cd where large destabilization is observed. A striking result of the present study is that the addition of Fe to HgSe greatly enhances the stability of the carrier concentration against standard processing techniques such as annealing in a Hg or Se atmosphere.