100 KEV ELECTRON-BEAM INDUCED DECOMPOSITION OF II-VI COMPOUNDS

The process of decomposition within 100 keV electron beam irradiated II-VI compounds is described. The generated point defects initially interact with the existing defect microstructure when present, leading to dislocation climb or the removal of ion milling damage, for example, prior to the formation of voids which subsequently become decorated by small precipitates. The susceptibility to damage follows the trend ZnS > CdS almost-equal-to ZnSe > CdTe > ZnTe. The time for charge relaxation of a II-VI compound ionised anion generally lies in the range 4 x (10(-15) to 10(-14)) s, while values for II-VI compound radiation enhanced diffusivities are typically of the order of 10(-13) cm2 s-1.