CD AND TE DESORPTION FROM (001), (111)B, AND (110) CDTE SURFACES

The Cd and Te desorption from (001), (110), and (111)B CdTe surfaces have been studied as a function of temperature by measuring the electron beam current reflected from these surfaces. For Te, activation energies of 0.96, 1.23, and 2.04 0.10 eV have been found for (001), (110), and (111)B surface orientation, respectively. For Cd, activation energies of 1.9 0.1 and 1.96 0.10 eV are measured for the (111)B and the (001) CdTe surfaces, respectively, similar to the measured values of activation energy for the sublimation of these surfaces. A detailed analysis of the desorption process gives some enlightenment concerning two remarkable phenomena, namely, (i) a reversible transformation between a c(2×2)+(2×1) and a (2×1) reconstruction for (001) CdTe and (ii) a hysteresis cycle between a (1×1) and a c(8×4) surface for the (111)B CdTe. © 1994 The American Physical Society.